After 70+ films, Mohanlal and Rajinikanth’s heroine Rupini quit cinema to build a hospital

Although Rupini’s film career wasn’t exceptionally long, she left a lasting impact on audiences, which is why moviegoers still remember her, even three decades after she bid adieu to the silver screen. In a career spanning roughly two decades, she appeared in about 70 films and played the female lead opposite superstars like Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, and Mammootty. After stepping away from the limelight in the mid-1990s, Rupini pursued higher studies and eventually opened a hospital.

Rupini was born in Mumbai as Komal Mahuvakar; her mother was a doctor, and her father a lawyer. “As a child back in Bombay, I learnt dancing — Kathak, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi. I have always wanted to dance. I wanted to be a dancer, and I wanted to be a doctor. I never dreamt I would be in films. It’s completely destiny that this has happened,” she told The Indian Express in a 1988 interview.

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Her first movie appearance was as a child artiste in legendary director Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Amitabh Bachchan-Jaya Bhaduri starrer Mili (1975). She subsequently appeared in similar roles in a few more movies before transitioning to adult roles with Payal Ki Jhankaar (1980). However, her parents were not keen on disrupting her studies with constant film assignments; they allowed her only occasional good roles.

Rupini’s first movie appearance was as a child artiste in Mili. (Express archive photo)

Why Rupini turned down Mohanlal’s debut movie Manjil Virinja Pookkal

Around this time, debutant Malayalam director Fazil approached her with an offer to play the female lead in his movie Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980). However, her parents politely declined the offer, concerned that it would affect her studies. Instead, they suggested a family friend, Poornima Jayaram, who was doing minor roles in Bollywood films at the time.

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Manjil Virinja Pookkal not only launched Poornima’s career but also introduced a new actor to Malayalam cinema: Mohanlal! Although Rupini missed the opportunity to work with Mohanlal at that time, their paths converged later as they joined forces in legendary director Joshiy’s Naduvazhikal (1989), and the film became a blockbuster.

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She mostly did small roles in Hindi movies in the mid-1980s, and her entry into Tamil cinema changed Rupini’s career forever. In 1987, her first year in the Tamil film industry, she played the female lead in Rajinikanth’s Manithan, Vijayakanth’s Cooliekkaran, and Mohan’s Ninaikka Therintha Maname and Theertha Karaiyinile. Over the next few years, she soared in South India, appearing in major movies with top stars.

Rupini with Vijayakanth in Moondrezhuthil En Moochirukkum. (Express archive photo)

Rupini played the female lead opposite Kamal Haasan in Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989) and Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990); Mammootty in Midhya (1990); Venkatesh in Ontari Poratam (1989); Vishnuvardhan in Olavina Aasare (1988), Deva (1989), and Rajadhi Raja (1992); Vijayakanth in Moondrezhuthil En Moochirukkum (1991); Sathyaraj in Puthiya Vaanam (1988), Ulagam Pirandhadhu Enakkaga (1990) and Madurai Veeran Enga Saami (1990); Ambareesh in Saptapadi (1992) and Mallige Hoove (1992); Ravichandran in Gopi Krishna (1992); and Thiagarajan in Salem Vishnu (1990).

Why Rupini left film industry

However, by the mid-1990s, offers began to dwindle, and Rupini quietly bid goodbye to cinema. With the encouragement of her family, who placed significant importance on education, she moved to the United States for higher studies and completed a four-year course in naturopathy at the University of Dallas. After her return, Rupini established the Universal Heart Hospital in Chembur, Mumbai, for patients who could not afford treatment.

After leaving cinema, Rupini moved to the United States for higher studies.

Around this time, she married businessman Mohan Kumar and settled into family life. They have a daughter together, Anisha.

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Despite some of her colleagues encouraging her to return to acting during this period, Rupini stayed away for more than a quarter of a century. Nevertheless, she eventually made a comeback, playing a notable role in the Radhika Sarathkumar-headlined television serial Chithi 2 (2020-2022).