In 1992, she appeared in the Telugu film Aapadbandhavudu opposite Chiranjeevi. In 1992 her film Aaj Ka Goonda Raaj opposite Chiranjeevi was a hit. In 1993, she appeared in the film Damini – Lightning. Directed by filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi, it also starred Rishi Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Amrish Puri, Tinnu Anand, and Paresh Rawal. The film depicted the sensitive subject of injustice towards a rape victim. She won many accolades for her performance in the film. Damini received a number of awards, including a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award nomination. Damini is regarded as Meenakshi's career-defining role. She performed a Tandav dance in the film, choreographed by Ravindra Atibudhi. Meenakshi played the female lead in the 1996 film Ghatak: Lethal opposite Sunny Deol, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 1996. This was her last film. After this film, she married and moved to the United States. In 1992, she did the Telugu film Apathbandavudu with Chiranjeevi under the direction of K. Vishwanath. In 1993, she also appeared in Aadmi Khilona Hai opposite Govinda; and Kshatriya opposite Vinod Khanna – both the films were successful at the box office. In 1994, she was in a dance show of songs from Damini: "Bin Sajan Jhula Jholu" with Aamir Khan, and in 1991 Raj Kumar Santoshi started the film Dil Hai Tumhara with Sunny Deol. Meenakshi paired for the first time with Salman Khan; they only shot once before the film was shelved. She appeared in the Tamil film Duet opposite Prabhu Ganeshan, directed by K. Balachander. Hiatus (1997–present) After her marriage, she made a rare appearance on Shekhar Suman's talk show. After a few years of marriage, she shifted her base to Plano, Texas, in the United States. In an interview she stated: "Coming from a very Indo-centric background, life abroad shook me, I just could not relate to the US environment." However, with the passage of time she has settled there. Now she is running her own dance school in Carrollton called Cherish Institute of Dance; the school is described as "an assembly of talented dancers, a voluntary body to enhance multi-culture, revealing the best talent of people of all ages". Personal life She dated singer Kumar Sanu in the early 1990's. Meenakshi retired from cinema after marrying investment banker Harish Mysore in 1995. They had a civil wedding and a registered marriage in