BHAGYASHREE Dassani

"It's Been 35 Years And People Still See Me As Suman,"

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Bhagyashree and Suman. Even 35 years later the real and the reel remain entwined. As the sanskari Suman in Sooraj Barjatya’s epic Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) Bhagyashree symbolises the perfect Indian girl: respectful yet resolute, demure yet determined and a rebel in love. Uncannily, a similar screenplay of obsession vs opposition was being played out in her personal domain. The ‘princess’ of Sangli had fallen in love with schoolmate Himalaya Dassani and even got married to him during the filming of MPK much to the chagrin of her parents, Raja Vijay Singhrao Madhavrao Patwardhan and Rajlaxmi Patwardhan. Eventually easing out from films, the overnight sensation then dedicated herself to domesticity leaving fans and the fraternity distraught. But Bhagyashree never left the public consciousness. Her appearances on television shows, OTT and in films – more recently a cameo in Salman Khan’s Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan – find its share of cheerleaders. Given her flair for fitness and fashion along with culinary verve, hers is a charismatic presence on social media. “Bhagyashree means ‘fortunate’. I started manifesting the meaning. I’ve enjoyed every phase of my life – doing films, marrying the man I loved, nurturing a family… My children, Abhimanyu and Avantika, are the wind beneath my wings. They now urge me to go out and conquer the world,” she beams.