The link between the actress Mandakini and Dawood Ibrahim has never been confirmed. It began with photographs of the two of them watching a cricket match in Sharjah in the late 1980s, it was reported everywhere as fact, and it followed her for the rest of her career. She has never accepted the story.
It is worth being precise about this one, because a rumour ended a working actress’s career while the man at the centre of it went on to be wanted for the murder of more than 250 people. Here is what is documented and what is not.
| The claim | That the actress Mandakini and Dawood Ibrahim were in a relationship in the late 1980s |
| Status of the claim | Rumoured. Never confirmed, never proven, and denied |
| What started it | Photographs of the two at a cricket match in Sharjah |
| Mandakini | Born Yasmeen Joseph; debut in Ram Teri Ganga Maili, 1985 |
| She left films | In the 1990s; later married Dr Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur |
| Dawood Ibrahim | Born 26 December 1955 in Mumbai; head of the D-Company syndicate |
| Why he is wanted | The 12 March 1993 Bombay serial blasts, in which more than 250 people were killed |
| Designation | Declared a global terrorist by India and the United States |
| Is he alive? | No death has ever been confirmed. India says he is in Pakistan; Pakistan denies it |
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Who is Mandakini?
Mandakini was born Yasmeen Joseph. She arrived in Hindi cinema in 1985 with Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili, and the film made her a household name overnight, partly for reasons that had nothing to do with her performance.
She worked steadily through the late 1980s. She was young, extremely famous, and had very little control over how she was written about.
Who is Dawood Ibrahim?
Dawood Ibrahim was born on 26 December 1955 and grew up in Dongri in Mumbai. He built the criminal syndicate known as D-Company and is one of the most wanted men in India.
He is wanted in connection with the serial bomb blasts that tore through Bombay on 12 March 1993, in which more than 250 people were killed and hundreds more injured. Both India and the United States have formally designated him a global terrorist. He is not a romantic figure and this article is not going to pretend otherwise.
The photographs from Sharjah
In the late 1980s, photographs were taken of Mandakini at a cricket match in Sharjah, seated near Dawood Ibrahim. Sharjah cricket at that time drew a particular crowd, and the pictures were published widely in India.
That was the whole of the evidence. There was no statement from either of them, no documentation of a relationship, nothing beyond the images and what the press decided they meant.
What is established, and what is not
Established: the photographs exist, and they were taken at a cricket match in Sharjah.
Not established: that the two were in a relationship. It has been reported as fact for nearly forty years, repeated in article after article, and it has never been confirmed by either person or by any court or investigation. Mandakini has consistently rejected it.
The stories that grew out of it — that films were arranged for her, that people were harmed on her behalf — belong in the same category. They are allegations that circulated in the press. They were never proven.
What the rumour did to her career
The effect on Mandakini was immediate and permanent. Producers backed away. After the 1993 blasts, any name spoken in the same sentence as Dawood Ibrahim became untouchable in the industry, whether or not there was anything behind it.
She left films in the 1990s. She later married Dr Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, moved towards Tibetan medicine and spiritual practice, and built a life almost entirely outside the industry that had discarded her. She has a son.
Is Dawood Ibrahim alive?
There has never been a confirmed report of his death. In December 2023 there was widespread speculation that he had been poisoned and hospitalised in Karachi. None of it was ever confirmed by any government, and no death was announced.
India maintains that he lives in Pakistan. Pakistan has consistently denied that he is on its territory. The crime writer Hussain Zaidi, who has covered the Mumbai underworld for decades, has said publicly that Dawood is alive in Karachi.
Born in December 1955, he would be 70 years old.
Mandakini and Dawood Ibrahim: your questions answered
Were Mandakini and Dawood Ibrahim in a relationship?
It has never been confirmed. The claim rests on photographs of the two at a cricket match in Sharjah in the late 1980s. Mandakini has always rejected it, and no proof has ever been produced.
Is Dawood Ibrahim alive?
No death has ever been confirmed. Reports in December 2023 that he had been poisoned in Karachi were never verified by any authority.
How old is Dawood Ibrahim?
He was born on 26 December 1955, which makes him 70.
Why is Dawood Ibrahim wanted?
Chiefly for the serial bomb blasts in Bombay on 12 March 1993, which killed more than 250 people. He has been designated a global terrorist by both India and the United States.
What happened to Mandakini?
She left the film industry in the 1990s, married Dr Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, and moved into Tibetan medicine and spiritual work. She has a son.
What was Mandakini’s real name?
Yasmeen Joseph. Mandakini was her screen name, taken from her role in Ram Teri Ganga Maili.
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