# Damini (actress)

**Damini** is a name given in online film reference listings to a supporting actress in Hindi-language cinema<sup>[1](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actress/damini)</sup>, and, more prominently, to the title character of the 1993 Hindi film *Damini*<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0792866/)</sup>. These listings connect the name to a Kannada-language film actress in the 1999 Kannada film *Upendra*; the online record instead documents the disambiguation problem surrounding the name<sup>[5](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/2019/Sep/23/kannada-movie-upendra-to-see-re-release-after-20-years-2038181.html)</sup>.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Dominant online referent for "Damini" | The 1993 Hindi film *Damini*, about a woman who witnesses a rape in her household and fights for justice<sup>[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106655/)</sup> |
| Most prominent "Damini" in databases | A character name: Damini Gupta, played by Meenakshi Sheshadri (born 1963) in the 1993 film<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0792866/)</sup> |
| 1993 film cast | Rishi Kapoor, Meenakshi Seshadri, Sunny Deol, and Amrish Puri<sup>[4](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/damini)</sup> |
| Database page for an actress "Damini" | Indian Film History lists a supporting actress with five Hindi-oriented titles, none Kannada-language and none *Upendra*<sup>[1](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actress/damini)</sup> |

## Identity and disambiguation

The title "Damini" resolves online almost entirely to the 1993 Hindi film of that name<sup>[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106655/)</sup>. Its plot, a woman who witnesses a rape in her own household and fights for justice for the victim, is the summary given in the film's database entry<sup>[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106655/)</sup>. The film's title character, Damini Gupta, was played by Meenakshi Sheshadri, an actress born 1963, who later married investment banker Harish Mysore and settled in [Sugarland](https://www.edgepedia.org/sugarland), Texas, where she teaches [Bharatanatyam](https://www.edgepedia.org/bharatanatyam), Kathak, and Odissi<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0792866/)</sup>. Official industry pages attach the title to the same Hindi film, listing its cast as [Rishi Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/rishi-kapoor), Meenakshi Seshadri, Sunny Deol, and Amrish Puri<sup>[4](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/damini)</sup>.

None of this concerns the Kannada actress. A reader searching for a Kannada actress named Damini must therefore distinguish her from both the film and its lead, and from any other actress bearing the name.

## The record and its gaps

Database pages for actresses named Damini do not converge on the Kannada actress either. Indian Film History carries a page for a supporting actress called Damini, but its five listed titles, *Rani Aur Maharani*, *Watan*, *Pinjrewali Muniya*, *Mr Bechara*, and *Sholay Aur Toofan*, are Hindi-oriented, and none is Kannada-language or *Upendra*<sup>[1](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actress/damini)</sup>. The two kinds of pages, one pointing to a 1993 Hindi film and character and one to a supporting actress in unrelated Hindi titles, illustrate how databases fragment or conflate people who share a name.

The sources cited here do not establish this actress's birth name, full filmography and its languages, role in *Upendra* or its significance to her career, active years, collaborators, contemporary Kannada critical reception, awards, or life after film.

## References

1. [Damini: Filmography & Biography, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/actress/damini)
2. [Meenakshi Sheshadri, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0792866/)
3. [Damini (1993), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106655/)
4. [Damini, Red Chillies Entertainment](https://www.redchillies.com/movies/damini)
5. [Kannada Movie Upendra to See Re Release After 20 Years 2038181, newindianexpress.com](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/kannada/2019/Sep/23/kannada-movie-upendra-to-see-re-release-after-20-years-2038181.html)

---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, 1970s to 1990s*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license