Meenakshi Seshadri, (born November 16, 1963) is an Indian film actress. 

She was born as Shashikala Seshadri at Sindri, into a Tamil Iyengar family settled in Jharkand. Her father was an employee of the Sindri Fertiliser plant in Sindri, Jharkhand, India. 

Career : 

She won the Miss India contest in 1981 at age 18. She made her debut in Painter Babu (1982) opposite Rajiv Goswami, the brother of Manoj Kumar. She shot to fame with the hit film Hero (1983) directed by Subhash Ghai. 

Her notable performances were in films Meri Jung (1985), Vijay (1988), Shahenshah (1988), Ghayal (1990),Damini (1993) and Duet (1994). 

She also has a career as a Bharatnatyam, Kathak, and Odissi teacher/dancer. She has learned all four main dance styles of India and performed her Bharatnatyam Arrangetram at the age of four. One of her students performed her Odissi Manch Pravesh in 2005. Meenakshi continues with her first love, dancing, and performed beautifully in the festival at Pune in 2006 at age 43. 

Personal life : 

Director Rajkumar Santoshi was said to have been interested in her but she apparently rejected his marriage proposal. She acted in her last film Ghatak in 1997 and has not appeared in any film since. In her 15-year career in the film industry she acted in about 80 films. 

She is now settled in the United States.She teaches Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi. She is married to investment banker Harish Mysore, and is settled in Plano, Texas. They have two children.