Mandakini was born in Meerut her real name was Yasmin Joseph, she was spotted by director-actor Raj Kapoor when she was 22. He changed her screen name to Mandakini. Raj Kapoor discovered her at age 22 and cast her in a lead role in the 1985 movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili with the screen name "Mandakini" opposite his youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor. The movie was a blockbuster, and it earned Mandakini a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. Mandakini acted in a few more successful films, such as Dance Danc