Nepal), is a prominent Bollywood actress, UNFPA
Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. She is also
an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer.
Manisha Koirala made 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). Manisha Koirala went on to
collaborate with some of the most prominent film
directors of her times, and throughout the 1990s, was
one of the popular actresses in India, mostly credited
for her critically acclaimed performances.
Noted for her willingness to portray diverse
characters, Manisha Koirala primarily ventured into
serious and realistic cinema, and though most of her
films have not done well at the box office, her niche
as an actor remains unharmed irrespective of box
office collections.
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. Manisha
Koirala studied at Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan,
New Delhi 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.
Her brother Siddharth Koirala is also an actor, and
collaborated with her once in the film Anwar.
In 2004, she returned from New York after receiving a
diploma in filmmaking. Manisha Koirala became a member
of an independent documentary filmmaker's society.
Her first film was Pheri Bhetaula (We shall meet
again), a Nepali movie released in early 1989. Her
first Hindi movie was Subhash Ghai's Saudagar in 1991.
The film proved to be a good beginning, as it was the
biggest hit of the year. After that, Manisha Koirala
went on to work with some of the most prominent film
directors of Bollywood.
Manisha Koirala went on to star in a number of
critically and commercially successful films such as
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's love saga 1942: A Love Story
(1994) and Mani Ratnam's Tamil drama Bombay (1995).
Her performance in the latter was particularly
appreciated and won her the Filmfare Best Performer
Award. She was also seen in more commercial films,
such as Mansoor Khan's romantic musical Akele Hum
Akele Tum (1995) opposite Aamir Khan; her role as a
reigning star in the film earned her a Filmfare
nomination for Best Actress.
Koirala had a particularly successful year in 1996.
Manisha Koirala received positive reviews for her
performance in the drama Agni Sakshi, where she played
the role of a battered wife on the run from her
mentally sick husband, played by Nana Patekar. The
film became one of the biggest hits of that year at
the Indian box office. Later that year, Manisha
Koirala acted in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial
debut, Khamoshi: The Musical. The film saw her playing
the role of Annie, a caring daughter to deaf parents.
Her performance was highly acclaimed, and won her a
second consecutive Filmfare Best Performer Award, as
well as a Star Screen Award for Best Actress. One
critic from Channel 4 wrote, "Manisha Koirala...
demonstrates the full range of her acting ability,
rather than playing against it as she has had to do in
more traditional films. The scene where Manisha
Koirala shouts at her father through the door,
screaming and using sign language even though she
knows he can neither see nor hear her, is extremely
powerful"
One year later in 1997, Manisha Koirala played the
leading role alongside Kajol and Bobby Deol in the
thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth. The film became one
of the biggest hits of the year.
Manisha Koirala went to collaborate once again with
Mani Ratnam, and starred in his award-winning film Dil
Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her role received
similarly good reviews, and earned her several 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.
Manisha Koirala 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 Koirala 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 [Khan]'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 2001, Manisha Koirala played the leading role in
Rajkumar Santoshi's drama Lajja along with an ensemble
cast that included Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit
and Jackie Shroff. The film received a good reception
from critics and Koirala's performance was
particularly praised. She next starred in the drama
Grahan, and her portrayal of a rape victim who quests
for justice was much appreciated as well.
In 2002, Manisha Koirala 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 years of success, in 2003 Koirala left the
mainstream cinema. Manisha Koirala was seen in several
low budget films, yet not less challenging roles. She
ventured into strong woman-oriented films in 2003,
such as Escape From Taliban which won her the BFJA
Best Actress Award. She then played the main
protagonist in the movie Market where she enacted a
role of a prostitute, portraying a whole life story.
After receiving a diploma in filmmaking, Manisha
Koirala produced the small-budget caper-comedy Paisa
Vasool (2004) in which she starred along with Sushmita
Sen; 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.
Since then, Manisha Koirala has played supporting
roles in various unsuccessful films, some of which
being well received by critics, such as the thriller
Tum - A Dangerous Obsession (2005), and the horror
film Anjaane - The Unknown (2006).
Koirala's only release in 2007 was Anwar, in which she
played a supporting role. In 2008, she made her
comeback to films, with her first leading role since
Mumbai Express, in Tulsi, opposite Irrfan Khan.
Although pre-release her comeback was described by the
media as "shocking", and the film suffered from poor
marketing, Manisha Koirala's performance as Tulsi, a
young homemaker diagnosed with blood cancer, was well
received. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM wrote, "Manisha
Koirala sinks her teeth in this role and delivers a
fine performance."
She has completed the shooting for Rituparno Ghosh's
film Khela, and is set to star in Deepa Mehta's
patriotic foreign film Exclusion.
In September 1999, Manisha Koirala was appointed as a
UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. She is actively involved in
social work, specifically working with organizations
to promote women’s rights, prevention of violence
against women, and also to prevent the human
trafficking of Nepali girls for prostitution.
Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. She is also
an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer.
Manisha Koirala made 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). Manisha Koirala went on to
collaborate with some of the most prominent film
directors of her times, and throughout the 1990s, was
one of the popular actresses in India, mostly credited
for her critically acclaimed performances.
Noted for her willingness to portray diverse
characters, Manisha Koirala primarily ventured into
serious and realistic cinema, and though most of her
films have not done well at the box office, her niche
as an actor remains unharmed irrespective of box
office collections.
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. Manisha
Koirala studied at Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan,
New Delhi 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.
Her brother Siddharth Koirala is also an actor, and
collaborated with her once in the film Anwar.
In 2004, she returned from New York after receiving a
diploma in filmmaking. Manisha Koirala became a member
of an independent documentary filmmaker's society.
Her first film was Pheri Bhetaula (We shall meet
again), a Nepali movie released in early 1989. Her
first Hindi movie was Subhash Ghai's Saudagar in 1991.
The film proved to be a good beginning, as it was the
biggest hit of the year. After that, Manisha Koirala
went on to work with some of the most prominent film
directors of Bollywood.
Manisha Koirala went on to star in a number of
critically and commercially successful films such as
Vidhu Vinod Chopra's love saga 1942: A Love Story
(1994) and Mani Ratnam's Tamil drama Bombay (1995).
Her performance in the latter was particularly
appreciated and won her the Filmfare Best Performer
Award. She was also seen in more commercial films,
such as Mansoor Khan's romantic musical Akele Hum
Akele Tum (1995) opposite Aamir Khan; her role as a
reigning star in the film earned her a Filmfare
nomination for Best Actress.
Koirala had a particularly successful year in 1996.
Manisha Koirala received positive reviews for her
performance in the drama Agni Sakshi, where she played
the role of a battered wife on the run from her
mentally sick husband, played by Nana Patekar. The
film became one of the biggest hits of that year at
the Indian box office. Later that year, Manisha
Koirala acted in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's directorial
debut, Khamoshi: The Musical. The film saw her playing
the role of Annie, a caring daughter to deaf parents.
Her performance was highly acclaimed, and won her a
second consecutive Filmfare Best Performer Award, as
well as a Star Screen Award for Best Actress. One
critic from Channel 4 wrote, "Manisha Koirala...
demonstrates the full range of her acting ability,
rather than playing against it as she has had to do in
more traditional films. The scene where Manisha
Koirala shouts at her father through the door,
screaming and using sign language even though she
knows he can neither see nor hear her, is extremely
powerful"
One year later in 1997, Manisha Koirala played the
leading role alongside Kajol and Bobby Deol in the
thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth. The film became one
of the biggest hits of the year.
Manisha Koirala went to collaborate once again with
Mani Ratnam, and starred in his award-winning film Dil
Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her role received
similarly good reviews, and earned her several 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.
Manisha Koirala 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 Koirala 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 [Khan]'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 2001, Manisha Koirala played the leading role in
Rajkumar Santoshi's drama Lajja along with an ensemble
cast that included Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit
and Jackie Shroff. The film received a good reception
from critics and Koirala's performance was
particularly praised. She next starred in the drama
Grahan, and her portrayal of a rape victim who quests
for justice was much appreciated as well.
In 2002, Manisha Koirala 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 years of success, in 2003 Koirala left the
mainstream cinema. Manisha Koirala was seen in several
low budget films, yet not less challenging roles. She
ventured into strong woman-oriented films in 2003,
such as Escape From Taliban which won her the BFJA
Best Actress Award. She then played the main
protagonist in the movie Market where she enacted a
role of a prostitute, portraying a whole life story.
After receiving a diploma in filmmaking, Manisha
Koirala produced the small-budget caper-comedy Paisa
Vasool (2004) in which she starred along with Sushmita
Sen; 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.
Since then, Manisha Koirala has played supporting
roles in various unsuccessful films, some of which
being well received by critics, such as the thriller
Tum - A Dangerous Obsession (2005), and the horror
film Anjaane - The Unknown (2006).
Koirala's only release in 2007 was Anwar, in which she
played a supporting role. In 2008, she made her
comeback to films, with her first leading role since
Mumbai Express, in Tulsi, opposite Irrfan Khan.
Although pre-release her comeback was described by the
media as "shocking", and the film suffered from poor
marketing, Manisha Koirala's performance as Tulsi, a
young homemaker diagnosed with blood cancer, was well
received. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM wrote, "Manisha
Koirala sinks her teeth in this role and delivers a
fine performance."
She has completed the shooting for Rituparno Ghosh's
film Khela, and is set to star in Deepa Mehta's
patriotic foreign film Exclusion.
In September 1999, Manisha Koirala was appointed as a
UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. She is actively involved in
social work, specifically working with organizations
to promote women’s rights, prevention of violence
against women, and also to prevent the human
trafficking of Nepali girls for prostitution.
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