Karisma Kapoor’s ‘daughter’ who quit IIT for films, failed in Bollywood, directors stopped giving her roles due to…, she is now..

In the ever-evolving world of Bollywood, fame is always fleeting. Where one day an actor would rise to fame, and the next they would fade into thin air like they never existed. One such similar tale is of an actress who was once considered the next big thing in acting and who gained immense fame in the 1990s. Her breakthrough moment came when she played Kasima Kapoor’s on-screen daughter in the hit TV show Karishma, The Miracles of Destiny, and soon she became a household name. But this actress, who was once a promising young actress, made a life-changing decision that took her from film sets to the boardrooms of multinational companies. Today, she is celebrated not for her acting but for her corporate leadership as the Head of Google India.

Who is Mayoori Kango?

Yes, the person we are talking about is none other than Mayoori Kango. Born on 15 August 1982, Mayoori was an academically bright individual who even got selected for IIT. But destiny had other plans. While she was preparing for her board exams, she got an offer for the film Naseem in 1995. In the film, she played a 16-year-old Muslim girl during the Babri Masjid turmoil. She captivated everyone with her innocence, and her natural performance won hearts. Later, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt cast her in Papa Kehte Hain (1996), whose soulful song “Ghar se nikalte hi…” made her an overnight sensation.

From Bollywood films to corporate boardrooms

After this, Mayoori worked in nearly 16 films, including Betaabi (1997), Hogi Pyar Ki Jeet (1999), Badal (2000), Papa The Great (2000), and Jung. She also worked in Telugu cinema with Vamsi. She also worked on television and became popular with shows like Dollar Bahu, Thoda Gham Thodi Khushi, Kitty Party, and Karishma, The Miracles of Destiny. Despite her talent, many of her films failed at the box office, and gradually, directors stopped approaching her. This pushed Mayoori to rethink her future.

In 2003, she tied the knot with investment banker Aditya Dhillon and moved to the US. There, she completed her MBA and worked in corporate roles. From 2004 to 2012, she worked in America, and in 2011, she embraced motherhood and welcomed her son, Kiyan. In 2013, she came back to India and joined a digital marketing agency as managing director. Recognising her skills, Google appointed her as the Head of Google India Industry in 2019, a position very few actors-turned-professionals achieve.

Mayoori also spoke in her interviews and admitted that leaving films was not easy, but it was necessary.

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