Lock Upp: Mandana Karimi's controversial life; from posting bold towel photos to divorcing husband within 6 months and more

Mandana Karimi, who is currently seen in Kangana Ranaut's Lock Upp, stirred up quite a controversy after she recently accused co-contestant Ali Merchant of mast*****ing in the bathroom. This is not the first time though that Mandana managed to make headlines. Earlier too, she has been in the news for her troubled personal and professional life. Take a look.

Mandana had shared her 'Then and Now' photo on social media - one where she is sporting a hijab and the other from her acting days. In the post, she talked about chasing her dreams and leaving her country Iran for it. She wrote, "It's fair to say I’ve come a long way since who I was 15 years ago. I left Iran after school in search of my dreams.I traveled around Asia and finally made it to India where I call home. And by the grace of God and hard work, I managed to start working in the movies. I want to use this opportunity to tell everyone that with hard work and determination you too can reach your goals and achieve your dream. Don’t stop believing in yourself and fight for what you want. A lot of people will say that you can't do it and that you don’t have what it takes but believe in yourself and everything else will follow. #staypositive #keepdreaming" (Photo: Instagram)

Mandana got engaged to her boyfriend Gaurav Gupta, a Mumbai-based businessman in July 2016. Apparently, they were introduced to each other by a common friend. The two tied the knot in March, 2017. Their lavish wedding was attended by many. For the wedding. Mandana converted from Islam to Hinduism. And changed her name from Manizhe Karimi to Mandana. ( reportedly her mother-in-law's choice).

However, things changed quickly within the same year and in July 2017, Mandana filed a domestic violence case against Gaurav and his family. Later, she withdrew the complaint and claimed she wanted to save her marriage and did not want any monetary compensation from the family. In her recent fight with Payal Rohatgi, the case was brought up again and Mandana was mocked for it.

Reportedly, Mandana was asked by Gaurav's family to quit showbiz. She claimed that she was also not allowed to meet her friends. The Iranian model-actress even claimed that she was insulted on many occasions. It wasn't just her husband, but she also made harassment charges against her mother-in-law.

In 2020, Mandana posted her topless photo on her Instagram account. She was seen posing sideways in it. In her post, she wrote, "I am naked, naked, naked, I am naked as silence between words of love, and all my wounds come from love, from loving...Will I once again comb my hair with wind? Will I ever again plant pansies in the garden and set geraniums in the sky outside the window? Will I ever again dance on wine glasses will the doorbell call me again toward a voice's expectation? I said to Mother, It's all over now. I said things always happen before one thinks, we have to send condolences to the obituary page."

During the lockdown in 2020, Mandana grabbed headlines for her towel series. Talking exclusively to ETimes TV, she said, "The 'towel series' is quite interesting. The idea came to me when I received a lot of messages from teenagers (girls and boys) saying that they salute my courage, confidence, and boldness by posting the pictures and talking about things that are happening. The mirror-selfie series and the towel-series started from there. I realised that there are a lot of people that look up to me." However, it's not come without hate. And addressing the lewd comments she received, Mandana said, "If you see the comments, there are a lot of people who are fighting for me. But there are others who are judging me because I'm Iranian, I'm Muslim. They judge me because of my profession, and you can't really do anything about it. I've understood in life that you can't let people give you names and put tags on you."

Mandana picked up fights with Asma Falla wherein they wet each other's bed and went after each other. It infuriated Nisha Rawal, who had to face the brunt of their fight. Another time, Mandana locked horns with Payal. While she made fun of Payal's relationship with Sangram, reminding her of the hashtag 'Save Sangram', Payal didn't spare Mandana either and referred to her domestic violence case.

In one of the recent episodes of the show, Mandana accused Ali Merchant of masturbating in the bathroom. She hesitated to tell the incident initially but when Kangana insisted, she said, "So, the other day, I went to the washroom first. After me Saisha had to go to the washroom. She was really upset the whole day. After me, when she went to the washroom, there was only one person who used the bathroom… It was Ali. And someone mas******ed. And it was… there." To this Kangana replied, "When you all share a house together, there is only one toilet. I am no insaaf ka tarazu. For me, if you encounter any body fluid, be it saliva, spit, nasal, or sexual genitals, aap uss insaan ko request karo to clean it. Even if it is sh*t stain. You are saying he has traumatized you. Your mental stability is shaken. This is your judgement. Isme kitni sachhai hai, we have to give the benefit of doubt to Ali. There are so many contestants using the bathroom and you are only targeting him, I can also say this is kind of harassment. Also, whatever said and done, mas******ion is something people openly discuss."