The Indian rupee fell by 21 paise to a two-month low of Rs 45.97 per US dollar in early trade today, weighed down by the gains registered by the greenback against other major currencies.
Dealers said the rupee weakness was due to the dollar gains against other Asian currencies, coupled with a weak opening in the domestic stock market.
The rupee had depreciated by 19 paise against the US currency to close at Rs 45.76/77 in the previous session on Friday amid sluggish domestic equities and fresh dollar demand from importers.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex plunged by 301.70 points, or 1.68 per cent, to 18,094.27 in opening trade today.
