Veteran actor Yasmeen Joseph, better known by her screen name Mandakini, has broken her silence on the widely discussed breastfeeding sequence from her 1985 film Ram Teri Ganga Maili. The actor clarified that the scene was cleverly shot to create an illusion and confirmed that she performed it herself, without a body double.
Mandakini clears the air on the iconic scene
Speaking to ANI, Mandakini was asked whether the sequence genuinely depicted breastfeeding. She responded, “Nahi, woh tha hi nahi, woh itne achhe tareeke se unhone picturise kiya tha (No, that wasn’t there at all. They had portrayed it so beautifully).”When asked whether a body double was used, she firmly denied it, stating, “Body double bhi nahi tha, main hi thi lekin woh breastfeeding nahi tha (There wasn’t a body double either. It was me, but I wasn’t actually breastfeeding).”
Mandakini reveals how the illusion was created
Drawing a comparison with modern fashion, Mandakini explained how the visual trick worked. She said, “It’s like aaj kal aap dekhte hain kitna low neck pehnti hain ladkiyan, kitna kitna low, literally aisa lagta hai you can see everything now. Usi tarah se (It’s like, these days you see how low a neckline girls wear—so low that, literally, it feels like you can see everything. In the same way).”She elaborated, “Suppose main low cheez pehni aur low pehen ke maine bachche ko aise tight yahan chipka liya. Usme kaise pata chalega aapko feeding ho raha hai ki nahi (Suppose I wore something very low-cut and, while wearing it, held the baby tightly against me like this. How would you be able to tell whether I was actually breastfeeding or not)?”Mandakini added that she was fully aware of how the scene would eventually appear on screen.
‘I don’t like explaining it repeatedly,’ says Mandakini
The actor also expressed discomfort over the scene being repeatedly brought up, describing breastfeeding as a natural biological act rather than something scandalous.“Bar bar us cheez ko explain karna, even I don’t like it. Phir kahi na kahi aisi feeling aa jati hai like I’m feeling bad about it. Ki jaise mujhe bahut bura lag raha hai aur main apna clarification de rahi hoon ki maine nahi kiya hai (Explaining that over and over again, I don’t like it either. And after a point, it starts making me feel bad, as if I’m feeling guilty about it and having to give a clarification that I didn’t do it),” she said.
On becoming an overnight sensation
Looking back at how Ram Teri Ganga Maili catapulted her to sudden stardom, Mandakini admitted that she never anticipated the film’s massive success.“I want to say ki mere ko toh kuch pata bhi nahi tha ki ye movie itni hit ho jayegi, hum raaton-raat star ban jayenge. Uske kya fayde hote hain, kya nuksaan hote hain (I want to say that I had no idea the movie would become such a huge hit or that we would become stars overnight. I didn’t know what the advantages or disadvantages of that would be),” she said.
Mandakini refused to recreate the saree scene
The actor also spoke about another famous moment from the film, in which she appeared drenched in a saree without a blouse. Despite repeated requests, she chose not to recreate the scene, insisting that the film’s success came from its strong narrative rather than any single sequence.“Hit karne ke liye aapko us scene ki zarurat nahi hoti hai, aapko bahut achhi storyline ki zarurat hoti hai (You don’t need a scene like that to make a film a hit; what you need is a really good storyline),” she said.‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ (1985), directed by Raj Kapoor, is a Bollywood romantic drama that uses the symbolism of a polluted holy river to explore themes of social corruption. The film was released on August 16, 1985.
