Manisha Koirala

Manisha Koirala - Biography

Manisha Koirala (born on August 16, 1970 in Kathmandu, Nepal), is an award-winning prominent Bollywood actress, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. She is also an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer.

Making her acting debut in the Nepali movie Pheri Bhetaula (1989), Koirala made her acting debut in Bollywood with Subhash Ghai's top grossing drama Saudagar (1991). She was among the most popular actresses of the 90s, and turned to be one of the most versatile actresses of her generation, working with some of the most prominent film directors of her times.

Manisha Koirala was born into the politically prominent Koirala family; Her grandfather Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala was the Prime Minister of Nepal during the late 50s-early 60s, as well as two of her great uncles, Girija Prasad Koirala and MP Koirala. She studied at New Delhi's Army Public School and Vasant Kanya Mahavidhyalaya (VKM) Varanasi. She lived with her grandmother in Varanasi during her studies. Her ambition was to be a doctor, but a modelling stint opened a career path into Bollywood.

In 2004, she returned from New York after receiving a diploma in filmmaking. She became a member of an independent documentary filmmaker's society.

1996 was her year with her films Agni Sakshi doing well at the box office and her highly acclaimed performance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directional debut Khamoshi: The Musical, where she played a daughter to deaf parents. She won her second successive Filmfare Best Performer Award and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress for her performance in Khamoshi.

She went to collaborate once again with Mani Ratnam, and starred in his award-winning film Dil Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her role received similar good reviews, and earned her various award nominations. Despite performing poorly at the box office in India, the film proved to be a hit overseas.

Since then, she has been part of several critically and commercially successful projects. in 1999, she starred in the moderately successful Kachche Dhaage (1999), which was followed by six more releases, the most notable of them being Indra Kumar's drama Mann. She played the role of a traffic accident victim in the film, which entered into the top five highest grossing films of the year. Her performance in the film won her favorable reviews. Film critic M. Ali Ikram wrote about her performance, "If there is respite for Manisha's innumerable fans of late, this flick is it. We may not care about hits and flops, but it is painful to watch this acting virtuoso in the innumerable side roles she has been seen in of late. Indra Kumar's decision to cast Manisha here, is a case of perfect casting, and she never lets him or the audience down. This lady is truly the Meena Kumari of her generation. It is great fun watching Manisha and Aamir 's perfect chemistry opposite one another. The film's climax has both stars permanently molding a spot for themselves in Bollywood history, and it will have you shedding tears by the bucketful."

In 2002, she starred opposite Ajay Devgan in Ram Gopal Verma's Company. The film was critically acclaimed, as well as Koirala's performance in it, and she won her third Filmfare Best Performer Award. Critic Alok Kumar wrote about her performance, "Manisha Koirala has yet another solid performance to add to her already overflowing portfolio of excellent roles. She has proved herself once again with a powerful and sensitive performance. She holds her own in every scene she´s in and is amazing in her emotional scenes, displaying confidence and maturity. Her new look suits her well. Here´s a girl who can really act."

After receiving a diploma in filmmaking, she produced the small-budget caper-comedy Paisa Vasool (2004) in which she starred along with Sushmita Sen and was directed by Srinivas Bhashyam; this was probably the first ever chick-flick in Indian cinema in that it did not have a male lead nor a love story.

Overall, Koirala starred as the leading role in 6 high-budget, successful Tamil movies: Bombay (1994) co-starring Arvind Swamy, Indian (1996) co-starring Kamal Hassan, Mudhalvan (1999) co-starring Arjun, Aalavandhan (2001) co-starring Kamal Hassan, Baba (2002) co-starring Rajnikanth and Mumbai Express (2005) co-starring Kamal Hassan.

Koirala decided to sued Nair and dragged him to court. She has moved the court against him, and objected to the alleged nudity and obscene postures, and pleaded that these scenes be deleted from the film, saying she had not performed in these scenes and that Nair had made use of another actress for this. Koirala. Finally, the court decided to stay the release of the film.

Another controversy occurred in February 2006, when a wake of protests by section of people following a media report claimed Koirala had named her pet dog after a revered Muslim figure, which caused to demonstrations against her. Koirala was provided police security to prevent any problem. In the following days, The accusations continued. However, Koirala denied the accusations and the Police said the actress had no pet at all.

Awards Nominated
- 1995, Filmfare Best Actress Award, 1942:A Love Story
- 1996, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Bombay
- 1996, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Akele Hum Akele Tum
- 1997, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Khamoshi: The Musical
- 1997, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Agni Sakshi
- 1999, Filmfare Best Actress Award, Dil Se