Flora Saini is one of the popular names in the film and OTT world. The actress made her acting debut in the 1999 Telugu film, Prema Kosam. The producer of the film changed her name to Asha Saini without her knowledge, reportedly based on astrology. However, she later reverted to her original name. Though Flora’s debut film failed to make a mark, the actress gained recognition with the 2000 film, Chala Bagundi.
Soon, Flora was recognised for her effortless performances. With over 150 films in her career, Flora is a familiar face in the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi film industries. Some of her notable films include Gandhi Park, Prematho Raa, Narasimha Naidu and many others. The actress is currently seen in Bigg Boss 9 Telugu and is one of the most talked about celebrities in the show.
Who is Flora Saini?
She gained huge recognition when she appeared as the ghost in Shraddha Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao’s Stree. To try her luck in the cinema, Flora adopted various names. She was first christened as Asha Saini, then she opted for her screen name, Mayuri, as per the advice of her astrologer, and then she opted for her original name.
Apart from films, Flora is a popular name in OTT as she has featured in Gandii Baat, Inside Edge, Dupur Thakurpo, Mayanagari: City of Dreams, Aarya, Rana Naidu, The Trial and many more.
Flora Saini was banned from the Tamil film industry
Flora made her debut in the South Indian films and enjoys huge popularity in the South. However, in 2008, the actress was arrested in Chennai for having forged visa documents. After her arrest, she was banned from the Tamil film industry. After some time, she was proven innocent and her ban was lifted.
Flora Saini’s name is featured in the Limca Book of Records
Not many people are aware that Flora Saini’s name is listed in the Limca Book of Records. The reason behind her achievement is that she released her three films on the same day. As Flora’s three films, Broker, Vismaya Pramaya and Vah Re Vah were released on December 31, 2010, she secured her name in the Limca Book of Records.
Apart from her name in the Limca Book of Records, Flora was honoured with the Uttarakhand Ratna Award. She also received ‘The Great Daughter of Soil Award’ in Mauritius for her anti-poverty work.
Flora Saini was a victim of domestic abuse
At the age of 20, Flora Saini went on to have a serious relationship with producer, Gaurang Doshi. She recounted her affair with Gaurang as one of the most traumatic phases of her life. The actress revealed that the affair began on a sweet note but took a violent turn. She left her parents’ home and started living with Gaurang, and fell prey to abuse and domestic violence.
Her phone was taken away by Gaurang, restricting her contact with the outside world, and she was even forced to quit acting. She was then subjected to daily abuse, including attacks on her private parts. When Flora realised that the ace producer would kill her, she ran away from his clutches and filed complaints about the domestic violence.
Flora Saini posted a picture of her fractured jawline during the MeToo movement
Flora’s abuse happened in 2007, when she was at the peak of her career. In 2018, during the MeToo movement, she shared a detailed post about the abuse and harassment she faced at the hands of Aankhen producer, Gaurang Doshi. Sharing a picture of herself with a broken jawline, she penned:
“That’s me…Valentine’s Day 2007, I was beaten up by a known producer, ‘Gaurang Doshi’, who I loved and was dating then…this was the last of the one-year abuse I took… I came out with a fractured jaw and a scarred soul for life…I realised that my talking about it at that time was just against me because he was the powerful one. Nobody wanted to believe some girl who was relatively new in the industry. It was his word against mine, and of course, his word mattered.”
Did you know about Flora Saini’s ordeal? Let us know.
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