Mandakini recalls Dawood Ibrahim controversy, says she knew nothing about underworld funding in Bollywood
Published: September 17, 2026, 2:55 PM IST
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Mandakini, Dawood Ibrahim (PC-YouTube)
Veteran actor Mandakini has spoken about the controversial photograph of her with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim that made headlines decades agoThe actor clarified that she had not travelled to Dubai to meet him and was there for a show before attending a cricket match where the photograph was taken.
In an interview with ANI, Mandakini said she had no control over the rumours that followed the photograph, including reports that linked her romantically with DawoodShe said that actors meet thousands of people during their careers and cannot control how every interaction is reported.
Recalling the incident, Mandakini said, “Jo bhi log likhna chahe, jo bhi bolna chahe, we don’t have control over itEk artist ko hazaron log milte hain aur hum sabke liye barabar hai (People may want to write or speak whatever they wish—we have no control over thatAn artist meets thousands of people, and everyone is equal to us.)
“I did not even go to Dubai to watch the matchHum waha kisi show ke liye gaye theMatch mein bahut saare log baithe the (We had gone there for a showThere were a lot of people seated at the match), and he was just sitting there.”
‘I was not invited by Dawood’
Mandakini also denied that Dawood had invited her to DubaiShe said she was unaware that the photograph would later become the centre of a controversy.
“No, I was not invited by DawoodControversy banana aur ek chiz ko interesting banana yeh sab mjhe nahi pata tha (I didn’t know anything about manufacturing controversy or making something interesting),” she said.
According to Mandakini, the controversy had a major impact on herShe said she later realised that actors need a professional team to handle such situations and deal with rumours.
“The controversy did a lot of damageLater, I came to know that one should have a team to take care of all these thingsI denied the rumours everywhere,” she said.
Mandakini also recalled that her denial had been published at the timeShe said she was not aware of alleged underworld funding in the Hindi film industry during the 1980s and only learnt about such matters much later.
“It was also printed at the time that I denied the rumoursI did not even know about the underworld funding in Bollywood during the 80sI got to know about these things through films which were made later,” Mandakini said.
Mandakini on Ram Teri Ganga Maili
During the same interview, Mandakini also spoke about her debut film, Ram Teri Ganga Maili, directed by Raj KapoorReleased in 1985, the film became a major box-office success and established her as one of the leading actors of the decade.
Mandakini recalled that she began shooting for the film when she was just 16She also described it as Raj Kapoor’s final directorial film.
The actor also addressed the discussion around the film’s famous waterfall sequence in Tujhe Bulayen Yeh Meri Bahen and the breastfeeding sceneMandakini said she did not consider either scene vulgar or uncomfortableAccording to her, the sequences were intended to represent innocence and purity within the story, but were later viewed in a more sensationalised manner.
Following the success of Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Mandakini worked with several prominent actors, including Mithun Chakraborty and GovindaHer filmography also includes Tezaab, which starred Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit.
In 2023, Mandakini appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show with Varsha Usgaonkar and Sangeeta Bijlani, where she recalled several memories from her career and shared anecdotes with host Kapil Sharma.
