The Indian rupee fell by 21 paise to a two-month low of 45 rupees 97 paise per US dollar in early trade on Monday. The rupee was 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 45 rupees 77 paise in the previous session on Friday amid sluggish domestic equities and fresh dollar demand from importers.