Rajkumar Santoshi’s DAMINI (meaning Lightning/1993) is widely considered as one of the most hard-hitting Hindi films made on the subject of rape, class difference and court trials representing the suppressed voice of a woman and the power of truth.
Though I would love to go in details, praising the various aspects of the film, both on and off the screen giving them their deserving due, but since many must have already read a lot about the film at various platforms, so would like to restrict the article to just Meenakshi and Aamir in particular and the lesser heard facts.
Playing the lead, Meenakshi Sheshadri as Damini, delivered her career best performance in the film, standing firm against her loving husband’s family in the court getting the much needed support of a fiery lawyer. In fact the very first scene of the mental asylum, shouts out loud for the range displayed by the talented actress taking her far ahead of her contemporaries without any slightest of doubt.
However, shockingly the lady didn’t win any major award that year for such an outstanding, incomparable act disappointing and breaking many hearts. Where the director Rajkumar Santoshi and Sunny Deol won the Filmfare awards (along the Story and Sound), Sunny even got a National Award for his powerful ‘Dhai Kilo Ka Haath’ performance playing to the galleries. But sadly the most deserving of them all, didn't receive any reputed recognition either from the industry or the jury appointed at the national level.
It is said that perhaps this ‘gross ignorance’ towards her milestone performance in DAMINI was the reason why the talented actress suddenly left the world of films after gracing it just for a decade or so from 1983 to the mid-90s. Here not being sure of the exact reason, the fact remains that any artist would have felt extremely disheartened post such unexplainable denial from every jury, more so when the fellow artists were being acknowledged and rewarded for the same film.
Coming to Aamir Khan’s connection with DAMINI, the opening credits in the film have a slide saying ‘Thank You Aamir Khan’. And that’s because Aamir makes a guest appearance in the opening song of the film 'Bin Saajan Jhoola Jhoolun' which happens to be a stage dance performance along Meenakshi, seen by Rishi Kapoor sitting in the audience falling in love with the girl.
Probably it’s the most forgotten or lesser discussed guest performance of the perfectionist Aamir Khan featuring in the much appreciated DAMINI.
For friends who would like to know, Juhi Chawla got the FILMFARE for HUM HAIN RAHI PYAR KE & Dimple Kapadia got the National Award for RUDAALI that year in comparison to the flawless DAMINI.
Cheers!
(Note: The article was also published on UC-News Mobile App in November 2017)
