Full Name: Manisha Koirala
Pet Name: Manya
Profession: Actress
Star Sign: Leo
DOB: Aug 11
Height: 5'5"
Status: Single
Family: Has one brother.
Address: 302 Beachwood Towers
Yari Road,
Andheri(W),
Mumbai 400061
Debut Film: First Love Letter
Most Serious Role(s): In Khamoshi. One of her better performances till date.
Awards & Achievements: Critics award for Bombay in year 1995.
Critics award for Khamoshi in year 1996.
Turn ons
Good food, good wine and good music
Turn offs
Chamchas
Car in School
I didn’t have one
Car now
Tata Sierra, Tata Safari
Favourite TV shows
Top Cat, Tom & Jerry... I just love The Cartoon Network, The National Geographic channel and The Discovery channel!
On what occasions do you lie
My biggest failing ... I can’t lie
Memorable moments
When I faced the camera for the first time for Subhashji’s Saudagar
Philosophy of life
Get real... what goes up must always come down
On a blind date you’d go out with
Antonio Banderas
Secret ambition
To fly a plane
If you were a burglar you’d steal
Cher’s home in Miami... it’s to die for
You’d like to be reborn as
Manisha Koirala
Allergies
Once I was allergic to eggs. Now I’m allergic only to liars
Favourite drink
Pepsi
Terrified of
Nothing and no one
Recurring dream
Waking up and finding all my money gone or finding my man in another woman’s arms
Favourite books
To Kill A Mockjingbird, The Celestine Prophecy and Peaceful Warrior
Vegetable you resemble most
A karela. Hey I’m being funny
One role you’d give your eye and teeth
Mery! Streep’s in The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Biography
The feminine power and longevity of some female stars fill future aspirants with hope and security of knowing that they have something to look forward to. Manisha Koirala has become a member of this exclusive club. She's part of a new feminine sensibility that is as efficient as that of men but operates with a compassion and intuition that is much more effective In the last year or so, she has, in a way, redefined our image of female stardom.
Streetsmart and gossamer. Completely spontaneous and totally in control. Her career has been built on roles that call upon her to encompass these contradictions. She refuses to play safe in her career. She believes that when you've done one kind of role, it's not interesting to go back and do it again. And so she knows she isn't going to win them all. Actually, Manisha has been so successful at finding refreshing changes in the variety of roles she's played that her image as an actress hasn't been clearly defined. But she's already proved that she's more than just a star performer with a taste for the challenging. She has gradually developed a reputation for unpredictability in what she is willing to try; but it is the unpredictability of a person willing to test her limits.
"I love acting, and that's all that appeals to me," sighs Manisha. She loves acting, but doesn't jump the camera. She's one of the rare actresses at work today willing to expose all of her soul to deliver the role. Very few of them today have her ability to range from sophisticated laughs to heavy-duty drama. She knows all about opening up, about allowing herself to lapse into a state of vulnerability in which emotions become raw and naked. The secret to her portrayals has always been in her eyes. She's got the corneas of a tragedienne. While many of her contempararies try to hone the rough edges of their personalities, Manisha thrives on being herself. Her juxtaposition of fragility and strength is very attractive.
It's two 'o' clock in the afternoon and Manisha, stretched out in an easy chair in her make-up room is looking good. Her skin is smooth and clear, her body valiantly fighting weight. Her countenance is sensual and touching at the same time. You feel that good fortune was destined to light on a girl with a face like that. There is a stillness about her, a hesitancy that doesn't go along with being a star. But then I realized later, is the difference between being a star and being an actress, between making movies and making films. Her conversation is full of honesty tinged with streetwise grittiness. And you get the sense that she gives away even more than she intends to. She's at once playful and serious. No wonder actors and directors who have worked with her are struck by her unique combination of intense professionalism and explosive spontaneity. When she talks about things close to her heart, you can hear the pleasure in her voice.
Right now she braces herself expecting the expected as I fire my first salvo on, what else, the debacle of the much-hailed Khamoshi. It was only about six months ago that she had excitedly chirped about how excellent the film had turned out to be. In fact, she was cocksure of its success. But alas! The power of silence lost its punch. How has she taken to the disappointment? She smiles wryly as she says, "I'd be Iying if I say that it hasn't upset me. After all, I was quite excited about doing such a fabulous film. But I can't sit around moping all my life if it hasn't done well. Once I've completed my work for a film, I have no control over it. I simply cry over its failure at night and forget about it the next day. Life has to go on. However, the fact that there were quite a few who liked the film and appreciated my work was more than enough for me."
Dissecting the film, as usual, in search of flaws, one felt that the slow pace of the film, the subtle emotions and a song too many played the villains of the piece. She throws her hands up in the air in exasperation. When a film does not do well, thousands of reasons are attributed to its failure. But nobody can pinpoint the exact reason. I myself can't understand where we went wrong. While some felt that the idea of Nana Patekar playing dumb backfired, others believe that the audience couldn't accept Nana as my father. Still there were others who blamed the screenplay for the debacle. But I simply feel that when people don't get what they expect, they simply reject the film. God knows what they expect." She says with a huff.
About the only good thing to come out of it all was her superlative performance in the film. Guess it's one of the most memorable ones of the year and could probably bag her the Best Actress award. Surprisingly, she's not so interested. "People appreciating my performance is good enough for me. I don't care much for awards and have never given it much thought. And anyway, I can't play the games people play to win awards." Are we miffed or what? However, with the acting reputation she's managed to build up in the past couple of years, it must be quite a task to live up to people's expectations. Does she feel the pressure on the eve of each release of hers? Her answer is quite amazing for someone who's been consistently good at her work. "I know there are a lot of expectations from me every time I appear on screen. But I'm least bothered. I don't mind failing expectations at times. As I can't keep torturing myself to attain perfection. I do a good job only if I feel I should. Rather I take things pretty lightly. After work I literally shun any thoughts about my profession. I detach myself completely and read a book or play video games. It's vague but that's the way I am."
Speaking of new releases, her next one, Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein, seems rather lacklustre compared to her other films in recent times. With no other stars to boast of, the makers are primarily depending on Manisha to carry the film on her shoulders. "This is a film I had signed a long time ago. It's a decent film made by rather decent people. I have a good role in it as the story revolves around me. I wouldn't want to say anything derogatory about this film as the makers are very nice people. God forbid, even if it doesn't do well, I'll have the satisfaction of having worked with such goodhearted folks. Their efforts have been sincere and I hope it does well for the director who's making his debut."
Interestingly enough, all her newly signed films have Sunjay Dutt as her co-star. She laughs an incongruous, tinkling, almost girlish laugh, with nothing forced or brittle about it as she exclaims, "I've been eager to work with Sunju and it's happened after such a long time once again. I've got the opportunity to work with him. And what's more, we've signed four-five films which are totally different from each other."
Amongst the lot, there's Ketan Mehta's film based on the 1852 mutiny that has her all charged up. "Simply because it's a period film which will be quite different from what I've done till now. And mind you, even though Sunju and I are working together in it, we're not cast opposite each other. It's a rather offbeat film and l've taken up the challenge of portraying my role quite differently from what I've done till now." But the strangest choice of all is Sanjay Gupta's Khauf. Does she still have faith in the director after his disastrous Ram Shastra? She smiles and reveals, "Khauf is a romantic thriller most unlike what you may have seen till date. I have this incredibly good feeling about it. Also I have very a well-etched character that makes it all the more interesting. About Sanjay Gupta, believe me, the guy has improved remarkably from his Ram Shastra days. The way he has been taking his shots, one can notice the difference. And he's sobered down from the braggart he was before. He's decided to let his work do all the talking now which is indeed a good sign. Let's hope he's sincere throughout the making and maintains the status quo. At least, I'm happy about working with him again."
She must also be quite thrilled to be working with Govinda to have signed two films, Maharaja and Achanak, with him. But doesn't his latecomings and shoot cancellations prove to be irksome? She laughs and confesses, "I can't even dream of getting angry with Chi Chi. First of all, I'm a late Latif myself. Secondly, the guy has such an endearing quality about him that you forgive him all his misdemeanours. He's a genuinely nice guy, one can never hold grudges against him. In fact, he can commit the most heinous of crimes and yet go scot free. Till now, it has been a great pleasure working with this sweet man."
From Govinda, it's a quantum leap to an Amitabh Bachchan film. She's recently signed K. C. Bokadia's Lal Badshah with the phenomenon. Now the star usually dominates the proceedings in his films. So what made her sign a film where she could possibly be restricted to the song 'n' dance routine only? "Simply the experience of working with the man," comes out the oft-repeated answer. "I've always watched his films and admired him. In fact, he's worshipped in our family. Another good reason is to match wits with him and see whether I can do a good job or not. I"m looking forward to shooting with him. Only hope everything goes right." With the above film, she covers almost every significant and important part of the industry. With the exception of one. One would really love to see her doing a film with Yash Chopra and what better time than now when she's at the peak of her career. "Please convey this to Yashji. Pleeeaaase!" she pleads and really means it. "I've been dying to work with him for years. But it all depends on whether he wants to work with me or not. He's such a classy filmmaker who makes such beautiful films on women and romance. Hope I'll get lucky some day. If I don't get to do a film with him, it will be the only major letdown in my career." And what about doing another film with her mentor, Subhash Ghai? She pops a surprise when she reveals, "I'll probably be doing a film with him soon. He's approached me for his next project and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Let's hope things work out as planned."
All this while, she talks enthusiastically but the mention of her doing a Pakistani film has her fuming with rage. In fact, the newspaper headlines screamed not so long ago that she was seeking Shiv Sena supremo, Mr. Balasaheb Thackeray's permission to do the film. On hearing this, she gives vent to her anger. "That's complete hogwash. The fact is that the producer approached me a few months back with the proposal but I refused to do it as I didn't want to get involved with anything controversial. He said he had come all the way from Los Angeles to ask Mr. Thackeray's permission to release the film in India. So I told him to do so and then speak to me. If there's no controversy or objections raised, I would give it a thought. That was the last time I saw or spoke to him. And the next thing I read in the papers is that I'm supposed to be seeking Mr. Thackeray's permission. Gosh! The whole thing has really been in bad taste. Let me make it clear, once and for all, that by no means am I doing this film." It takes some time to pacify her and get her mood upbeat once again.
That's the frank and forthright Manisha Koirala then. In spite of her meteoric rise, she has kept her feet firmly on the ground. Her price has soared, but her ego hasn't. She's like a breath of fresh air, normal, down-to-earth. You could say today, she's like a piece of fine glass that has been through the fire more transparent but with a keener edge.Daughter of Nepal's Ex President Mr G.P. Koirala, Manisha was launched by Subhash Ghai in his multi starrer film Saudagar in year 1992. As a new comer her performance was not appreciated as the film had a great actors like Dilip Kumar, Raaj Kumar. But she was remembered as ilu ilu girl. After Saudagar, came her Love Letter which was a big flop. All her movies were falling one after another until south director Mani Ratnam signed her for Bombay. As she went into the right hands her acting abilities got recognised and putting best of her acting talents she started gaining success and collecting fans to her credit. Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942 A love Story proved this modern girl could even be sober when needed. Ever since Manisha never turned her face back.
In Bombay Manisha played the role of a mother and she so beautifully potrayed her character that she won a critics award for it. After success of Bombay Manisha was in limelight and started gaining fame. Sanjay Bhansali's Khamoshi was rejected by the auidence, but she caught the critics eyes once again and won a critics award. Majdhar had a good star cast but the film failed to touch the auidence and was a disaster. But that did not deter Manisha's morale and she signed Partho Ghosh's Agni Shakshi which was a super hit film and again Manisha came into picture.
Rajiv Rai's Gupt was successfull at the box office. Today this ilu ilu girl is catogorised in first five actress and one hit to her name will put her in the number one slot.
