Meet Bollywood actress Bhagyashree who comes from a royal family, left industry soon after Maine Pyar Kiya
Bhagyashree made her Bollywood debut in 1989 with Maine Pyar Kiya. At the age of 20, she starred opposite 24-year-old Salman Khan.
The late 1980s marked a transformative period in Bollywood, with established stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Rekha, and Vinod Khanna losing their box-office dominance.
This shift created a need for fresh faces, and in 1989, a film emerged that seemed to fulfill that need. Featuring two newcomers, it shattered box-office records. However, while the male lead went on to become a superstar, the female lead’s career faded. Many in the industry believe that her own actions contributed to this decline.
Bhagyashree made her Bollywood debut in 1989 with Maine Pyar Kiya. At the age of 20, she starred opposite 24-year-old Salman Khan, and the film became the highest-grossing movie of the year, propelling both of them to instant stardom.While Salman Khan received an overwhelming number of film offers following the film’s success, Bhagyashree opted for a different path.
In 1990, she married Himalaya Dassani, and her career took an unexpected turn. She made it clear that after her marriage, she would only work alongside her husband and no other actor. The couple appeared in three films together – Qaid Mein Bulbul, Tyagi, and Paayal – all of which failed at the box office. As a result, Bhagyashree retired from acting at the young age of 24.
In 1997, Bhagyashree made a short comeback by working in Kannada and Telugu films, but it wasn’t until 2006 that she returned to Bollywood on a full-time basis. This time, however, she took on supporting roles, featuring in notable films like Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. More recently, Bhagyashree has appeared in Thalaivii and Radhe Shyam, and even reunited with Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan last year.
Bhagyashree is one of the rare Bollywood stars with royal lineage. She is the granddaughter of Chintamanrao Dhundirao Patwardhan, the last ruling Raja of the princely state of Sangli. As a result, her father, Vijay Singhrao Madhavrao Patwardhan, holds the title of the Raja of Sangli, making Bhagyashree a princess by birth.
