The digital space has opened up a plethora of interesting projects for Manisha Koirala. However, the actress wants to take it slow and indulge in other areas of interest in her life, too. From gardening in her house in Katmandu to taking off on treks with her school friends – the actress says that what’s most important to her is enjoying life to the fullest. In a chat with BT, she talks about how life changed for her after battling cancer, the kind of projects she wants to associate with, and her thoughts on family life and motherhood.

Like many of her contemporaries, Manisha has jumped onto the digital bandwagon and is selecting work that appeals to her sensibilities.

“OTT has opened the doors for everything that was somehow out of the ordinary, because of certain restrictions in mainstream Bollywood. I think OTT content has also led to a change in the viewers’ mindset, due to which the mainstream is also making subjects that are slightly better for middle-aged actors like me. Today, you might not be the best-looking person around, but if you are a good actor, you have a lot of scope. There’s a demand for new actors, directors, writers and they are now challenged to think out-of-the-box.”

Her contemporaries like Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor are doing web shows that are centered around their characters, ask Manisha if she itching to take on a project headlined by her, and she says, “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.”

At a time when storytelling has evolved and actors are picking from a range of roles they are offered, Manisha opted to play Kartik Aaryan’s mother in Shehzada. She says, “I wanted to be a part of a typical commercial film. I have been doing slightly serious roles and this came across as a break from that. Just because the film didn’t work, it doesn’t mean I will abandon it. I have seen too many failures in my life. Probably more failure than success, so I won’t do that. See, initially from being the main lead to playing a character role was a little tough. As a heroine, the whole world revolves around you, but suddenly, when you shift to playing a character, you start seeing a totally different setup. It does hurt you, but then you realize that times have moved on. The good part is that I am getting fabulous roles, so I perform those with a bang. So yes, at first it was tough for my ego to handle it (laughs!). But it is okay, as you grow older, you learn to be at the periphery than the centre.”

Talking about living life after winning her battle with cancer, Manisha says, “I will always be grateful to cancer because it changed me for the better. It showed me that my time is limited, like everybody else’s time. I am cancer-free, but at some point, I will have to say goodbye. I started focusing on things I enjoy, like spending time with my family and doing quality work. Now, I want to see the skies, the hills, explore new places, and read books. I want to rough it out, be physically fit to be able to trek. I went to Everest base camp with my school friends a couple of years ago. I have a lot on my bucket list.”

"To have a family is a bit late now, no? Sometimes I do wonder if I had a life partner, then would life have been better? I don’t know. I feel my life is complete and my children are my dog and my cat, Mowgli and Simba. Plus, I have wonderful parents and an amazing friends circle. Still, sometimes I wonder… would it be nicer if I had a life partner."

"I know how responsible you have to be to raise a child in this world. The day I get the confidence ki as a single mother I can do that, I will do it. But keeping in mind my health background, my multiple interests that I wish to pursue and the sense of freedom that I am enjoying now…if I can sacrifice all that and focus on being a parent, I would love to do that."