10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Born into poverty, this actor was dubbed Hema Malini's lookalike; worked with A-listers before dying mysteriously at 33
In the late 1950s, a girl named Ruksana was born in Mumbai's Mahim area to a poor family. Her humble beginnings did not deter her dreams, and by the time she stepped into the world of cinema, she had already begun shaping a career that, while not leading her to superstardom, would leave a mark on audiences.
From then on, she appeared in several big productions, including Lawaris (1981), Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981), Khuddar (1982), and Razia Sultan (1983). On screen, she became a familiar presence in ensemble casts, portraying characters that added depth to the story even if they weren't at the centre of it.
Ruksana's resemblance to the reigning 'Dream Girl' of Bollywood, Hema Malini, became a talking point. Industry insiders and audiences alike noted the similarity in their facial features, and it was this comparison that led her to adopt the screen name Madhu Malini. The name stuck, and under it, she continued her steady run in Hindi cinema.
One of her most remembered roles came in Avatar (1983), where she played an evil daughter-in-law. The performance was widely noticed, further cementing her place as a versatile supporting actor. Yet, despite back-to-back critically acclaimed performances, she found herself typecast in secondary roles, unable to break into the league of lead heroines in Hindi films.
While Bollywood didn't offer her the starring roles she might have hoped for, she found success in regional cinema. She acted in Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Gujarati films, expanding her repertoire and earning recognition beyond the Hindi film industry. The 1970s and 80s saw her working consistently, and though she never reached the pinnacle of stardom, she maintained a presence on screen. In 1983, she fulfilled her wish of playing a lead role in the Punjabi film Ambri.
However, her life came to a tragic and mysterious end in the late 1980s. She was found dead in her apartment under unexplained circumstances. With no major breakthroughs in the investigation, the case was eventually closed. She was only 33 years old.
