From competing with Aishwarya Rai to debuting with Akshay Kumar to becoming a monk, story of a once promising actress
The actress Barkha Madan was seen with Akshay Kumar in the 1996 hit Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi and in Ajay Devgn’s Bhoot
Remember former actress Barkha Madan? Back in 1994, she was competing with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sushmita Sen for the Miss India pageant, made her Bollywood debut with Akshay Kumar in the 1996 hit Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi and was then seen in Ajay Devgn’s Bhoot seven years later. She then turned producer and starred in two films- Soch Lo and Surkhaab.
Madan was always fascinated by the teachings and discourses of the Dalai Lama, and embraced Buddhism in 2012 and quit the world of showbiz. She’s now a monk and has rechristened herself to Gyalten Samten.
The Dalai Lama proclaimed a Mongolian boy born in US as the reincarnation of the third most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism last year.
The eight-year-old boy was pictured with the Dalai Lama at a ceremony that took place in Dharamshala in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
Dharamshala is also the place where the Dalai Lama — Tenzin Gyatso –, 87, currently lives in exile and is recognised as the 10th Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche.
Carrier Timeline:
A popular face in the modelling industry, Barkha Madan participated in the beauty pageant Miss India in 1994 and competed with Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai, who were crowned the winner and the first runner-up respectively. Barkha was named Miss Tourism India and ended up coming as the third runner-up in Miss Tourism International in Malaysia.
In 1996, she made her Bollywood debut in the action film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, which starred Akshay Kumar, Rekha, and Raveena Tandon in the leading roles. The film proved to be a blockbuster, but it took Barkha seven more years to earn her next notable role in Ram Gopal Varma’s Bhoot in 2003. She terrified the critics and audiences when she played the ghost Manjeet Khosla in the supernatural horror film Bhoot. Barkha made her presence felt in the hugely talented ensemble that included Ajay Devgn, Urmila Matondkar, Nana Patekar, Rekha, Fardeen Khan, and Tanuja.
Between Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi and Bhoot, Barkha had starred in multiple TV serials including the social drama Nyaay and the historical drama 1857 Kranti, in which she portrayed Rani Laxmibai. After Bhoot, when Barkha didn’t get the roles she wanted, she moved back to TV. From 2005 to 2009, she was seen in the popular Zee TV show Saat Phere – Saloni Ka Safar, which starred Rajshree Thakur and Sharad Kelkar in the lead roles.
The actress decided to turn producer in 2010 and launched Golden Gate LLC, to promote talented independent filmmakers. She produced and starred in two films namely Soch Lo and Surkhaab. Barkha, who has been an avid follower of Dalai Lama throughout her life, decided to embrace Buddhism in 2012. She became a monk and changed her name to Gyalten Samten. Today, she lives in the monasteries in the mountains and keeps on sharing photos from her spiritual life on her Instagram.
With Thanks Reference to: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/from-competing-with-aishwarya-rai-to-debuting-with-akshay-kumar-to-becoming-a-monk-story-of-a-once-promising-actress-13689652.html and https://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-meet-actress-competed-with-aishwarya-rai-debut-with-akshay-kumar-quit-bollywood-buddhist-monk-barkha-madan-3076823
