Manisha Koirala is one of the most talented actresses of her generation in Bollywood. Known for her impeccable beauty, grace and talented acting chops, the charismatic diva has impressed a large generation of audiences with her performances. Some of Manisha’s most iconic films to date, includes 1942-A Love Story, Mann, Gupt, Bombay, Akele Hum Akele Tum, and so many others. Recently, the actress spilled beans on one of the most interesting turn of events in her career, which could’ve led her to abandon one of the biggest films of her career.
In an interaction on the YouTube channel, O2 India, Manisha Koirala revealed how she was almost on the verge of refusing Mani Ratnam’s offer for Bombay, a film that turned out to be one of the most acclaimed performances of her career. For the unversed, it featured Arvind Swami alongside Manisha as the main protagonist. Coming back to her revelation, Manisha stated that she was apprehensive about doing the film, since she was supposed to play the role of a mother. Adding how female actresses portraying mothers on-screen caused heroines to be typecasted, Manisha expressed:
“I was not wise back then. I remember I got an offer of Bombay. I had heard the music, but I had not seen Roja. But I knew that Roja is a big hit. But when I was asked to do Bombay, I was a little apprehensive. I was not wise back then. So there were a lot of norms in Bollywood in those days. Like a heroine cannot do a mother’s role, otherwise a heroine will be typecast forever as a mother. And I used to listen to those things because those are the people who come and tell you that.”
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Moving forward in the conversation, Manisha then recalled that while she was quite decided on refusing the role in Mani Ratnam’s film, it was a salient word of advice from filmmaker, Ashok Gupta that made her change her mind. The diva remarked that the latter called her an idiot for refusing such a magnanimous offer just because she wasn’t aware of Mani Ratnam’s reputation as a filmmaker in Chennai. Talking more about it, Manisha revealed:
“Ashok Mehta fired me and said, ‘beta, what are you doing? Do you know the kind of filmmaker he is? Do you know the level of good work he has continuously churned out? And his last film was a big commercial success too. You are an idiot if you refuse this film’. And that jolted me. Then mom and me went to Chennai. I did a look test and a photo shoot and then it was decided that I will play Shaila Banu.”
Earlier, in an interaction with Pinkvilla, Manisha Koirala talked about one of the most pinching comments she ever got from anyone, concerning her acting mettle. The actress looked back at the time when she was auditioning for the film, 1942- A Love Story, wherein the filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra pointed out her poor acting skills during the script reading. Manisha revealed that Vidhu straightforwardly stated that she performed horribly and even tagged her as a bad actor.
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In a previous interaction with the Bombay Times, Manisha Koirala opened up whether she felt insecure about her contemporaries. She mentioned that insecurity has never driven her, and it has been the excitement for good work which keeps her passion alive. Manisha said:
“Which actor won't want to do that? While it's exciting to play a protagonist in a cool project, for me, what matters is who I am teaming up with. After my cancer recovery, which was a near-death experience, what's most important for me is to enjoy life and be grateful for what I have each day. I am past that phase where I have to keep working. I am 52 and I have done almost 100 films, so at this point in my career, I don't feel the need to continuously churn out films. I am not driven by insecurity. I am only driven by exciting work and in the process, I am trying to do better than what I have done before.”
What do you think about Manisha Koirala’s revelations? Let us know.
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