Manisha Koirala's bucket list includes more acting and travelling, writing more books and directing a film
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 5, 2019)

After playing Sanjay Dutt’s mother, Nargis, in Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju, Manisha Koirala has teamed up with the actor, whom she fondly calls Baba, for his upcoming home production, Prassthanam. This time, she plays his wife, Saroj. Talking about her three-decade association with the actor, Manisha says, “I became a big fan of Baba after watching Rocky and even had his posters up in my room. It was a fan-girl moment when I first worked with him, but over the years we have become good have seen him go through his ups and downs in life, and whenever I have a problem, I just have to tell him. A few days later, he will call to ask, ‘Manya, sab theek ho gaya na?’ We are very comfortable with each other now.”

Signing Prassthanam was a decision that came from the heart. “Maanayata ji (Sanjay’s wife) is producing the film, and I can’t say ‘no’ to Baba and her,” she says. The film, directed by Deva Katta, also features Jackie Shroff in a pivotal role, and is the remake of a Telugu film of the same name. Manisha however hasn’t seen the original film yet.

The second innings in her career is extremely important for her. “In the first, I was lucky I got to work with the best of directors and actors. I can’t hope for a repeat, I can only choose the best from the roles I get. But I now have the responsibility of doing a better job than before,” she reasons.

About the Sanjay biopic, she reveals that she had doubts about it. She wasn’t convinced if she should play a mother, afraid that she could get typecast. “Luckily, that hasn’t happened, the roles I’m getting offer a lot of scope to perform. I was also apprehensive if I’d be able to perform a character suffering from cancer as I’d just come out of it,” she explains. Eventually, she couldn’t say ‘no’ to playing a legend like Nargis. “More than Baba or Raju sir, I took up the film because of Nargis ji.” Manisha was diagnosed with the Big C in 2012. After several rounds of treatment, she is doing fine now.

Has life changed since? She points out that after any kind of life-threatening incident, one’s perception changes. “If there is heaven, it’s here. If there is hell, it’s here. When I was close to death, I realised how lucky I was to be born and be alive. When you are in danger of losing something, you start valuing it more. I love life and want to live it fully. It can be demanding but I want to make the most of my living years,” she says.

Manisha has a bucket list of things she wishes to do. She wants to act more, write more books, direct a film and travel more. “This year, I went to the Everest Base Camp. I want to climb more mountains. And finally, I want to be more useful in whichever part of the world and society I am. I want to live well and chase happiness,” she says.

Her inspiration when battling cancer was cricketer Yuvraj Singh who came out victorious. Sonali Bendre recently admitted that she found her inspiration in Manisha fighting the disease. “Sonali is a beautiful, strong woman. Cancer can shake you up, but one should ensure that it doesn’t get the better of you,” she says.

Salman Khan recently said that he met Sanjay Leela Bhansali through Manisha during Khamoshi: The Musical. Tell her that and she laughs, “I wish Salman and I got along during Khamoshi but we didn’t. Sanjay has always liked Salman, and I knew them both long before Khamoshi. We had our fights and our moments during the film, and I still think Salman’s best work is with Bhansali. I am fond of both of them, Bhansali is my jaan. He was on board as the assistant director on 1942—A Love Story,” she reminisces, revealing that she wasn’t the first choice for his directorial debut. “I had read his script long back, when he was looking to cast either one of his favourites—Kajol or Madhuri (Dixit)—but both rejected the film, and that’s when I came on board.”