Meet Ajay Devgn's actress who is Hema Malini's cousin, had to struggle for films, know her connection to Juhi Chawla

When 'Roja' actress Madhoo made her Bollywood debut, she gained immense fan following. She appeared in Ajay Devgn's film 'Phool Aur Kaante' which made her famous overnight. Many people are unaware that Madhoo, born Madhoobala Raghunath Malini, is the cousin of actress Hema Malini and the aunt of Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. However, despite coming from a film background, she had to face rejection.

In a podcast episode with Bollywood Bubble, Madhoo, speaking about her career, said, "My father was a producer. I am from Hema Malini's family, she is my cousin. My mother was a dancer. My whole background was around dance, music, and films. But whatever I did, I did it myself."

Speaking about the struggles she faced despite coming from a film background, Madhoo said, "First of all, it was a struggle that I had to tell my father that I want to become an actor. Because he wanted me to become a doctor. Second, I did not have support and I did not have confidence. I felt that if I told people that I wanted to become an actor, people would laugh. I had to get out of self-doubt. I did not even know how to approach someone for work. All this was a big struggle for me. First of all, I got rejection."

"My father was a producer, so he had a film Awaargi, which had Anil Kapoor, Govinda, and Meenakshi. I had gone for the song recording of that film. When a producer saw me there, he told my father that he wanted to cast me in a film. But my father got angry about it. But then I told my father to say yes. Then he got me trained. But when the film started, after four days only, he felt that I was not ready and I was replaced," she further added. 

Madhoo then revealed how she found out in a magazine that she was replaced in the film. She went into a deep shock after the rejection as, at the time, Madhoo was only 16-17 years old. But, Madhoo said that rather than getting affected by the failure, she decided to put in extra effort. She gained confidence and experience through training and became a star. 

In 1999, Madhoo married Anand Shah. The couple has two daughters and lives in Mumbai. Madhoo's husband is the cousin of Jay Mehta, Juhi Chawla's husband. Madhoo is still active in South cinema. She made her OTT debut in 2021 and has appeared in the critically acclaimed series 'Sweet Kaaram Coffee', as well as films like 'Shaakuntalam' and 'Thalaivi'.

READ | Meet actress who wanted to be IAS officer, one call changed her luck, gave highest grossing film in Bollywood, she is..