The bitter truth of showbiz is that an actor can make his career last till he chooses to retire, but an actress has to leave for many reasons. Inspite of being part of hit films, heroines get lost in the past and people often forget them as they move away from the spotlight. This week Showtime sheds light on some old favourites that haven’t graced our TV screens for a while.
Kimi Katkar
“Jumma Chumma De De” girl Kimi Katkar was a popular Bollywood actress during the mid 1980s to early1990s. She played some important roles but her career in Bollywood was short-lived. The actress is best remembered for her role as Jumma opposite Amitabh Bachchan. People loved her whether it was her role in Tarzan or Hum. Katkar quit the Hindi film industry after her marriage to photographer and ad-filmmaker Shantanu Shorey.
Anu Agarwal
Anu Agarwal entered Bollywood with her debut film Aashiqui. For Anu, being in the showbiz industry was not an agenda at all as she never dreamt of being a star but Mahesh Bhatt convinced her to do Aashiqui. She changed her mind when film offers began pouring in after the success of Aashqui. Things took a U-turn in her life when in 1999, she met with an accident that left her half-paralysed and down with temporary memory loss. She even forgot who she was and how big a star she was back home in Bollywood.
Mandakini
Light eyed beauty Mandakini who created stir with her debut film Ram Teri Ganga Maili where she put up a bold performance. The actress later acted in a few more successful films, like Dance Dance with Mithun Chakraborty and Pyaar Karke Dekho with Govinda, but failed to recreate the success of her first film. However, her career went downhill after her alleged relationship with underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim.
Meenakshi
Talented actress Meenakshi was the youngest woman to be crowned Miss India at the age of 17. The actress proved her versatility with many blockbuster films such as Hero and Shahenshah and even in the woman centric film, Damini. She gave a powerful performance in her last film Ghatak released in 1997.
Ayesha Jhulka
Ayesha Jhulka played some substantial roles with actors such as Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar. The actress proved her acting mettle in films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Khiladi and Masoom. The actress was last seen in films Socha Na Tha and 2006 released Aishwarya Rai starrer, Umrao Jaan as Khurshid, a courtesan. Ayesha is married to construction tycoon Sameer Vashi.