Manisha Koirala

At 54 years old, Manisha Koirala has this physical status:

Manisha Koirala (born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali actress who mainly works in Indian films.

She is the granddaughter of Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, Nepal's 22nd Prime Minister and born to the politically influential Koirala family.

She has received several awards, including three Filmfare Awards, a Filmfare Award South, and a Screen Award.

The Kingdom of Nepal awarded her with the Order of Gorkha Bahu in 2001, the country's second highest award. While attending school, Koirala made her acting debut with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989).

She started off aspiring to be a doctor but after a brief stint in modeling, she went on to make her Bollywood debut with Saudagar (1991).

Following a string of commercial flops, Koirala established herself as a leading actress in 1942: A Love Story (1994) and the Tamil-language Bombay (1995), which later appeared in a string of commercial triumphs, including Agni Sakshi (1996) and Ek Chhotisi Love Story (2002).

In Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), a terrorist in Dil Se, she was given critical praise for her portrayal of the daughter of deaf-mute parents.

(1998), a mistreated woman in Lajja (2001) and Sushmita Banerjee in Escape from the Taliban (2003). Koirala began collaborating with independent film makers on art-house projects and regional films in 2003.

She was lauded for her role in Tulsi (2008), the Malayalam psychological drama Elektra (2010), the anthology I Am 2010) and the romantic comedy Mappillai (2011).

After being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, she took a break from acting and returned five years later with the coming-of-age woman-centric drama Dear Maya (2017).

In the upcoming year, she appeared in Netflix's Lust Stories and the biography Sanju; the former sits at No. 1 for her highest-grossing debut.

She appeared in Prassthanam as Sanjay Dutt's wife and later on Netflix's much-awaited film Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish.

Koirala is a stage performer and has contributed as an author to the book Healed, which chronicles her battle with ovarian cancer.

In 1999 and 2015, Koirala was elected as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund and participated in the relief efforts after the earthquake in Nepal in April 2015.

Women's rights, violence against women, prevention of human trafficking, and cancer prevention are all promoting.

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Life and career

Manisha Koirala was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, into the politically influential Brahmin Koirala family. Prakash Koirala's father, a politician and a former environment minister, is a politician, and Sushma Koirala's mother, Sushma Koirala, is a homemaker. Siddharth Koirala, an actress, has one brother, Siddharth Koirala. Several members of her family went on to become politicians; Bishweshwar Koirala, her grandfather, served as Nepal's Prime Minister from the 1950s to the early 1960s; two of her great-uncles, Girija Prasad Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala, were among her many grand-uncles. Koirala spent her youth in India and later lived in Varanasi at her maternal grandmother's house for several years, as well as in Delhi and Mumbai.

While living in Varanasi, she attended the Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya until Class X. Koirala made her acting debut in 1989 with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula as an experiment during a break between her board exams. Aspiring to be a doctor, she moved to Delhi and studied at the Army Public School (APS) of the Dhaula Kuan campus in New Delhi, India. She said in a chat with her that being on her own in Delhi helped her become "strong and independent." Koirala began doing a few modeling jobs in Delhi but later moved her attention away from acting. One of these was for a wool company. Koirala travelled to Mumbai to film roles, determined to pursue a career in acting.

She continued this with her Bollywood debut in Subhash Ghai's directorial Saudagar, which became a commercial hit two years ago. "[C]ritics saw sparks in Manisha," Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com reports, "even as she was frequently referred to as Madhuri Dixit's appearance." Yalgaar (1992), a German immigrant, did well at the box-office and was rated as a hit. However, this was preceded by a string of films that failed at the box office, including First Love Letter (1991), Anmol and Dhanwan (both 1993), which culminated in Koirala being branded "a jinx" by producers. Koirala has been consistently praised as one of Bollywood's most beautiful actresses. She is best known for her appearances in 1942 A Love Story, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Bombay, Agnisakshi, Khamoshi, Gupt, Dil Se and Company.

Since appearing in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's romance film 1942: A Love Story (1994), set during the Indian independence movement, Koirala's career aspirations increased. Rajjo played Rajjo, the daughter of a freedom fighter who falls in love with Naren (Anil Kapoor), the apolitical son of a British colonial employee. After her first screen test, Chopra dismissed Koirala as a "terrible actress," but she was enthused with her results for her second audition and decided to cast her in place of Madhuri Dixit. The protagonists were shown sharing a deep kiss by the Central Board of Film Certification, making it the first Indian film to be given the rating. Critics also lauded Koirala's performance as "a sensitive performer." The film turned out to be a box office flop. However, Koirala received her first nomination for Best Actress at the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony.

Koirala made her Tamil debut in 1995 with the Mani Ratnam-directed political romance Bombay, starring Arvind Swami. She took up the role on the insistence of her friend Ashok Mehta, even as other contemporaries advised her not to work in non-Bollywood film industries. "Bombay recalls how impactful a motion picture can be," American writer James Berardinelli wrote. It also reminds us that those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Koirala received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, the first time a winner of a non-Hindi film was recognized for a role. She received her first Award in the Best Actress – Tamil category at the 43rd Filmfare Awards in South. Koirala's appearances in 1942: A Love Story and Bombay were two of her career's biggest hits, as she began her career in filmmaking. She appeared in the musical romance Akele Hum Akele Tum opposite Aamir Khan for which she was nominated in the Best Actress category at the Filmfare Awards the same year.

In the drama Agni Sakshi, a sequel to Julia Roberts' The Enemy (1991), she earned her positive feedback for her performance. The film was released in close succession with two other remakes of the same film – Yaraana (1995) and Daraar (1996). The film was deemed superior to the original by a University of California researcher. Diptakirti Chaudhuri's book Bioscope: A Frivolous History of Bollywood in Ten Chapters "Her performance as a tortured wife [is] pitching flawless against the formidable Nana Patekar." The film was a commercial success, debuting as India's second highest-grossing film of the year. Koirala started dating her co-star Nana Patekar during the film's filming; Patekar announced their affair and eventual breakup in 2003. Physical abuse on his behalf may have been a determining factor in his divorce.

In the comedy Majhdhaar the same year, Koirala appeared opposite Salman Khan for the first time, which was both a critical and commercial loss. She appeared in S. Shankar's Indian (1996), her second Tamil film. It was also launched in Hindi under the name Hindustani. It was the most expensive Indian film at that time, starring Kamal Haasan in dual roles alongside Koirala and Urmila Matondkar, and had a budget of 150 million. "Indian has dances, foot-tapping melodies by A. R. Rahman and two beautiful women, Manisha Koirala and Urmila Matondkar," Nirupama Subramanian of India Today thought the film was a commercial potboiler. Both Indian and Hindustani were commercial successes. In 1996, India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

She appeared in Khamoshi: The Musical, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's last release of the year, marking her debut in the musical drama. Sandirala played Annie, a caring daughter to her deaf-mute parents Joseph and Flavy, portrayed by Nana Patekar and Seema Biswas respectively; Salman Khan played Raj, her love interest. Koirala learned the Indian Sign Language in preparation for her role. "Koirala in particular is in her element and demonstrates the full range of her acting skills rather than playing against it as she has to do in more traditional films," a Channel 4 analyst said. Despite critical praise, Khamoshi: The Musical was a flop. In 2011, filmfare included her work on a list of "80 Iconic Performances" of Indian cinema. The Indian Express felt that Koirala put on a "impressive show" in a year-end box office roundup. Her appearance in Khamoshi received her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a nomination for Best Actress. At the Screen Awards, she was also named Best Actress for her second year.

She was one of the year's best hits, alongside Kajol and Bobby Deol in the thriller Gupt: The Unveiled Truth in 1997.

She went on to collaborate with the renowned director Mani Ratnam once more, and appeared in his film Dil Se in 1998, opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Her role in the Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination received similar glowing reviews, as well as multiple accolade nominations, including the Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. The film was a huge success in the world. The film became the first Indian film to debut in the top ten in the United Kingdom box office rankings. The film had been shown on five screens, five times a day, with an average of 3,000 viewers across all screens in the Cineworld complex in Feltham, West London, even months after its launch in September 1998. The film went on to win the Netpac Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, two National Film Awards, and six Filmfare Awards. The film's brash political content, the Assamese trial, the love tale, and the fact that it fell on the side of the South Asian diaspora in the west all played a major factor in its success internationally, particularly amongst the South Asian diaspora in the west. In Japan, the Dil Se. In addition, she appeared in the film Maharaja as the leading lady opposite Govinda.

She appeared in the hit Kuchhe Dhaage in 1999, which was followed by six more launches, the most notable of which was Indra Kumar's drama Mann. In the film, she appeared in a traffic accident and made it to the top-five highest-grossing films of the year. She has received lauded praise for her role in the film. M. Ali Ikram, a film critic, wrote about her appearance: "This film is it if there is a repriet for Manisha's countless followers of late." We don't care about hits and flops, but it is painful to see this playing virtuoso in the innumerable side roles she has played in late. Indra Kumar's decision to cast Manisha here is a case of flawless casting, and she never lets him or the audience down. This lady is unquestionably Meena Kumari of her generation. It's amazing to see Manisha and Aamir Khan's flawless chemistry as opposite one another. Both actors have established a place for themselves in Bollywood history, and the film's climax will have you shedding tears by the bucket full." It was a huge success in the box office. Koirala got sick of her busy schedule and felt "the pressure getting to [her]," she said; she turned to alcohol for solace and anger problems while filming Laawaris (1999).

On Zee TV, she hosted Sawaal Dus Crore Ka with Anupam Kher in 2000. She appeared in the drama Grahan opposite Jackie Shroff in 2001. Her role as a rape victim in the film that seeks revenge was lauded, but the film, which was a long-awaited effort, was a commercial failure. She continued to act in moderately successful Chhupa Rustam: A Musical Thriller in Rajkumar Santoshi's drama Lajja, as a protagonist and an ensemble cast starring Rekha, Anil Kapoor, and Madhuri Dixit. Critics lauded the film, as well as Koirala's performance. Moksha, the year's best seller, was opposite Arjun Rampal, which was a disappointment at the box office.

In 2002, she costarred opposite Ajay Devgan in Ram Gopal Verma's Company. The film was a critical success, and she received her third Best Actress Award from Filmfare Critics. She appeared in Ek Chotisi Love Story the same year. As it was announced, the film attracted a huge audience at the box office, making it one of the year's few hits. The film's release was held as she accused the film's producer, Shashilal Nair, of using her body double to shoot some love scenes in the film and presenting her in a bad light by shooting positions using another actress in her place without her permission. A court has also agreed not to keep the film from being released.

She appeared in several low budget films, but not in less challenging roles after years of success in 2003. In 2003, she began to make strong woman-oriented films, such as Escape From Taliban, which earned her the BFJA Award for Best Actress. She then appeared in Market (2003), a film that depicted the whole life of a young prostitute. The film did well at the box office and was rated as 'average.'

In 2004, she migrated to New York City and obtained a filmmaking degree from New York University. She became a member of an independent documentary filmmakers' society while living in New York. She produced the modest-budget caper-comedy Vasool (2004), which she co-starred in, but it was not accompanied by a male lead nor a love story in Indian cinema, despite receiving a diploma in filmmaking; this was probably the first ever chick-flick in Indian cinema in that it did not have a male lead nor a love tale. Since then, she has appeared in a number of unsuccessful films, including the historical epic romance Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), the horror film Anjaane (2005), and the horror film Anjaane (2005).

She played a supporting role in Anwar alongside her brother Siddharth, her first appearance in 2007. She made her return to film in 2008, opposite Irrfan Khan in Tulsi, where she made her first leading role since Mumbai Express (2005). Despite the fact that her return to the media was described as "shocking" and that the film was affected by poor promotion, her appearance as Tulsi, a young homemaker with leukemia, was well received. "Manisha Koirala sinks her teeth in this role and delivers a superb show," Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM wrote. She appeared in Sirf (2008) for the second time. The film was released without any announcement or publicity, and it was a commercial and box office failure. Rituparno Ghosh's first Bengali film Khela was released in the same year as the long-awaited Hindi film Mehbooba; both films were released on the same day.

She appeared in the fifth edition of the Dubai International Film Festival in December 2009 as a jury member. Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Char Aane Ki Barish, Deepti Naval's directorial debut, received a warm response at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival's market section. Jo Zindagi Badal De? appeared in Partho Ghosh's Ek Second later this year.

In a traditional wedding ceremony in Kathmandu held on June 19th, Koirala married Samrat Dahal, a Nepali businessman. The couple spent their honeymoon in Finland. They met on Facebook, an online social networking service. In 2012, the couple divorced. With Shyamaprasad's Elektra, a psychological drama based on Sophocles' ancient Greek tragic play Electra, she made her foray into Malayalam cinema in 2010. In the film, she plays the antagonist, which revolves around the idea of the Electra complex, which is a daughter's psychosexual rivalry with her mother for her father's affection. The film premiered at the International Film Festival of India, where it was warmly received. After a gap of 22 years since her first film, Dharmaa, she also appeared in her native Nepali-language film, Dharmaa.

She was next seen in director Onir's critically acclaimed anthology film I Am, where she appeared alongside Juhi Chawla. "It's a pleasure to watch Juhi and Manisha after a hiatus," a noted film critic Taran Adarsh said. Both performers are exceptional, with some even getting the words correct. Koirala appeared in Mappillai, her first Tamil film in five years, in 2011. The film was a remake of the 1989 film of the same name, with her repriseding the role played by Srividya. Best Supporting Actress – Tamil, Jennifer Ani's performance earned her a nomination. The film was declared a hit. In 2012, she co-produced Bhoot Returns, a sequel to the 2003 hit Bhoot.

Koirala had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer on November 29, 2012, according to media reports. She had no idea she was sick until she felt so ill, and she and her brother went to a hospital in Kathmandu. She travelled to India and was admitted to Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai. She then travelled to the United States for medical care, but the exact cause of the disease was not known. She underwent surgery on December 10th. The surgery was successful the following day. She had to have chemotherapy and spent months at the hospital in New York. She had been cancer-free for four years as of May 2nd, 2017. She is instrumental in promoting cancer and winning the battle, and she's still fighting it.

The actress was cancer-free by mid-2014. Chehere: A Modern Day Classic (2015), her long-awaited psychological thriller, was published in 2015.

Koirala's luminous presence with a Kannada-Turye mystery film Game in which she played the main female protagonist. Dear Maya (2017), her official Bollywood return was with the drama Dear Maya (2017). Sunaina Bhatnagar and co-starring Madiha Imam, her role was of a middle-aged lonely woman who embarks on a journey to find love after being sent love letters. Critics and commentators gave mixed marks to Koirala's performance. "Manisha Koirala shines like a diamond in a coal mine," Hindustan Times' Sweta Kaushal said. Suhani Singh of India Today said she is the "star in this mawkish coming-of-age tale," while Stutee Ghosh of The Quint said, "Manisha Koirala's grace makes it worth a watch."

Koirala appeared in the Netflix anthology Lust Stories last year. The film, which was a sequel to the 2013 film Bombay Talkies, featured her in one of the segments directed by Dibakar Banerji. She was a middle-aged housewife involved in an extramarital affair with her husband's best friend. The film was nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie or Miniseries. Koirala's work was also applauded. This was followed by a performance in Rajkumar Hirani's book Sanju, based on actor Sanjay Dutt's life; Koirala played actor Nargis Dutt's mother. The film debuted as the year's most successful film. She appeared in the Prasthanam Hindi remake of the political thriller in which she appeared as Sanjay Dutt's wife and the much-awaited film Do Paise Ki Baarish was released on Netflix this year.

In 2020, she appeared in a Netflix original film titled Maska, directed by Neeraj Udhwani.

She will be seen in AR Rahman's romantic musical 99 Songs in 2021. She appears in Geeta Malik's American comedy film India Sweets and Spices. The film is based on Geeta Malik's own script "Dinner With Friends," which received the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in screen-writing in 2016.

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