This 80s Leading Actress, Who Debuted At 6 In Bollywood, Gained Stardom In South Movies

Several actresses from the South have experienced success in the land of Bollywood. Some of these names include Sridevi, Vijayanthimala and Rekha. However, one top actress started her career in Bollywood but found incredible success in regional cinema. Do you know who she is?

The diva in question is actress Komal Mahuvakar popularly known as Rupini. She was born into a well-educated family and initially wanted to become a doctor, according to reports. At the age of 6, she was discovered by one of the most influential filmmakers in Bollywood, Hrishikesh Mukherjee. He cast her in the 1975 release Mili, as a child artist. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan as the lead. In the following years, she continued working as a child artist with the director, starring in films like Kotwal Saab and Khoobsurat.

Rupini featured in several Hindi films portraying small roles under her real name. Then in 1980, she was cast as the lead of Payal Ki Jhankaar, which was made under the direction of Satyen Bose. She was seen opposite Alankar Joshi in the film. The film was followed by several releases like Ghungroo released in 1983, Meri Adalat a 1984 release and Awara Baap, which was released in 1985. Despite working in such titles, Rupini failed to get recognition in Bollywood.

The actress then decided to venture into the world of South Indian cinema and changed her name to Rupini. Working in the industry, brought her to new heights of success. She worked with some of the biggest names in the South like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal and Vijaykanth.

She made her debut in South Indian movies with the film Cooliekkaran, which was helmed by Rajasekhar and was released in 1987. Rupini shared the screen space with Vijayakanth in the film. S Thanu produced the film under the banner of Kalaipuli Films International.

It was followed by a range of successful releases like Manithan, En Thangachi Padichava, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Michael Madana Kama Rajan and many others. In 1995, the actress married Mohan Kumar and decided to leave the film industry to concentrate on her familial life. She returned to the Tamil entertainment in 2020 with Chithi 2, a soap opera which aired on Sun TV.