Mandakini in a still from Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Actor Mandakini, who rose to fame with the controversial Raj Kapoor film Ram Teri Ganga Maili, has spoken about the explicit nature of some scenes in the musical drama. She said in a new interview with the Hindustan Times that she is grateful for the platform that the film gave her, but knows that not every project that she was subsequently involved in could reach that level of success.
Released in 1985, Ram Teri Ganga Maili was Raj Kapoor’s final film. It starred his son, the late Rajiv Kapoor, in the lead role. Incidentally, neither Rajiv nor Mandakini could capitalise on the film’s success. Two scenes in particular caused controversy — the first involved breastfeeding, while the second was a song sequence that showed Mandakini’s character bathing in a see-through saree.
Speaking about the breastfeeding scene, Mandakini said, “First of all, it was not a breastfeeding scene, it was shot in such a way that it could look like one. If I go on to explain how it was done, it would be too long (a story). The cleavage that is seen on screen, you see so much of it, it is all technically done.” She also gave the scene a sexual connotation, and added, “But the way skin show is done in today’s times, that was nothing. We should not be even talking about it. It (her scene) was also a pure form. Nowadays, it is all about sexuality.”
Last year, actor Padmini Kolhapure claimed in an interview with The Times of India that Raj Kapoor wanted to replace Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili after having shot for 45 days. He had approached her, Padmini, to step in. But she rejected the opportunity not because of the breastfeeding scene (which wasn’t a part of the script), but because she wasn’t comfortable with kissing on screen.
Subscriber Only Stories
Reacting to Padmini’s comments, Mandakini said, “I am not aware (of Padmini Kolhapure being approached for the role). I am only aware that everyone wanted to take up the role but Raj Kapoor wanted me because he wanted a fresh face. Not an established face, he has even said this. He said ‘how can I make someone pure Ganga if they have an established image?’ I don’t think any such thing….I don’t know.”
Mandakini faced the camera for the first time in 26 years recently for a music video. Rajiv Kapoor died last year.