Actor Manisha Koirala, who beat cancer a few years ago, has now written about her journey in a brutally-honest book
Labonita Ghosh (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 16, 2018)

In the Spring of 2019, Manisha Koirala plans to climb Mount Everest. This isn’t a metaphor for the actor having overcome insurmountable odds when she beat late-stage cancer a few years ago. Koirala and two friends have made all the arrangements, booked their flights and now are training hard for their mission. “We’re only going till Base Camp,” she says. “Anything higher would be challenging for me.”

Those who knew Koirala from her Bollywood days, where she has often played delicate but steely-eyed characters, might not recognise this new Manisha. Having survived against considerable odds, Koirala now has a new philosophy (“cherish every emotion”), new commitments (“more family time”) and even a ‘new’ body. “It’s just missing a few organs,” she says with a laugh, demonstrating that her sense of humour was not surgically removed along with her organs. “But I’m educating myself about my condition, and learning to live with my changed body.”

In 2012, Koirala’s body was battered by ovarian cancer and painful treatments. She has now co-written a moving, brutally honest book, titled Healed, about how she got past this difficult phase of her life, and will be released later this month. Unlike celebrities who are extremely guarded about their lives, Koirala lays out her pain, her doubts and fears, in raw, disturbing detail. For instance, she describes the experience of her first chemotherapy as a bunch of wolves tearing her insides apart. She also describes how she goes to pieces on learning that she has cancer, and talks quite openly about her alcohol dependence, the string of failed relationships that ended in betrayal and heartbreak, and how her desperation to start a family pushed her into a brief, unhappy marriage and IVF treatments that may have brought on the cancer. “I didn’t want readers to feel cheated when they read about my life,” Koirala says. “I don’t want to portray it as perfect, but I did want to present myself honestly and earnestly through my writing. So whether you love me or hate me, you will know the real me. There are so many versions of me which have come out over the years, and all of them have deviated from my ‘essence’.”

Koirala also wears her survivor’s courage lightly. “All of us have faced unimaginable situations and unimaginable pain,” she says. “Whether its illness or heartbreak or death. I remember Anupam Kher once told me that all of us are survivors. We all live through the pain, anguish and horrors of life.” Koirala’s anchor, apart from her family, has been her spirituality. “I was a total nonbeliever, but cancer (like all fatal diseases), teaches you to be reflective. You wonder ‘why me?’ or ‘what have I done to have brought this upon myself?’. And all that waiting — waiting to know for sure, waiting to see if the treatment will work, waiting to find out if the cancer has metastasised — forces you to learn patience.”

Today, Koirala really believes in pushing herself to do all the things she enjoys but never got time for when she was working 18-hour shifts and shooting for 12 films in a year. Like trekking and hiking, as she recently did while on location in Shimla during the shoot for her 2017 film, Dear Maya. Or taking on more motivational-speaking assignments (she has been doing quite a bit of that lately) where she relives her cancer journey. But as far as films go, she promises to be more choosy than she was during her last innings in Bollywood. “I’m only going to do the films I like,” she says. “What I would really like to do, is direct movies instead.”

That might have to wait. Koirala’s already onto her next book, written in Nepalese, about her politically-renowned family (her grandfather B P Koirala was a former Prime Minister of Nepal, and her father is also active in politics). “I’m tentatively calling it ‘Conversations with my Father’,” she says. “I will also write my memoirs at some point, and that will have all the details about my growing up years and my life in Bollywood [which are glaringly absent in her current book]. And maybe cancer will be incidental in that one.” 

As kids and teens, almost all of us have been mischievous and have played pranks involving elders. In that age, we might have not realized and crossed the line while having fun. Dear Maya tells the story of 2 friends who do something similar resulting in disastrous consequences. Although it moves at a snail’s pace, Dear Maya has a lot going in its favour which makes it worth watching!

The story of the movie: Maya (Manisha Koirala) is a reclusive and a mysterious woman who stays in a huge bungalow in Shimla. Her neighbor is the school-going girl Anna (Madiha Imam) who is curious about Maya and her lifestyle. She and her friend Ira (Shreya Singh Chaudhry) decide to play a prank on her. They write love letters to her under the name of a fictitious guy, Ved. Maya’s life takes a turn as she reads those letters. She starts enjoying life again and she takes a drastic step, which shocks Anna and Ira.

Dear Maya has a great story to tell but the major issue is that it progresses very slowly. In a way, that helps in establishing the characters and the world in which they are based. Maya’s huge, lonely house is well depicted. Also, Shimla is nicely presented and in no time, one gets acquainted with Maya, location of her residence and that of Anna’s. It’s interesting to see how Maya changes for the better when she receives the letters. One of the best scenes here is she opening the windows, which have been closed for ages, and dust playfully flies in the air. Well shot scene! The intermission comes at a great point. Post-interval, the drama shifts to Delhi. The dramatic confrontations between Anna and Ira at this point are nicely helmed. The pre-climax is surprising and one expects the film to go on a high from here. Sadly, the flashback again slows down the narrative. It’s nice without doubt but half of it takes up too much of time, especially when it’s predictable to everyone. Thankfully, the film ends on a justified note.

Manisha Koirala is back on the screen after a hiatus and she delivers a fabulous performance. She doesn’t speak much but it’s her eyes that do the talking and it’s praiseworthy. She gets the character of a scared, distrusting, recluse perfectly – see it to believe it! Madiha Inam is excellent and in fact does as good as Manisha! She has a crucial role and in some scenes, she goes many notches higher. Shreya Singh Chaudhry has a slightly lesser role than Madiha but she too leaves a huge mark. She has a fine screen presence. Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is terrific in a special appearance. The actor playing Rahul, Neel and Anna’s mother are good.

Anupam Roy’s music is melodious but sadly, doesn’t make much of an impact. Saat Rangon Se is the best followed by Kehne Ko. Buri Buri (by guest composer Sandman) is funky and is neatly relegated to the background. Roy’s background score is lovely. Sayak Bhattacharya’s cinematography is quite nice, especially in the Shimla sequences. Dolly Ahluwalia Tiwari’s costumes add to the authentic touch. Maya’s dull, black costumes leave an impact while Anna and Ira’s glamorous clothes are apt. Sanjeev Dutta’s dialogues are simple and effective, especially in the love letters portion. Sunaina Bhatnagar’s story is novel. Screenplay could have been better as it goes off track in the pre-climax. But her simple and straightforward direction works well. She could have done something about the pacing but all in all, it’s a worthy directorial debut!

On the whole, Dear Maya is a nice, intriguing fare and embellished with some great dramatic scenes and a bravura performance by Manisha Koirala. Newcomer Madiha Inam is the surprise of the film as she does a great job. The film moves slowly but it’s surely worth watching once for the above mentioned reasons and also for its underlying message!

My rating - *** out of 5!

First appeared on Kiagia.com: goo.gl/A44DNP

EXTREME DELUGE OF RELEASES TOMORROW

It’s that time of the year again when multiple small films will try their luck at the box office. What’s unique about tomorrow is that these Hindi films not only have to contend with themselves, they also have to face competition from Hollywood biggies like Baywatch and Wonder Woman and a big Marathi film (FU, starring Sairat actor Akash Thosar). My analysis of these films:

DOBAARA: It is the official remake of the well-loved Hollywood horror film Oculus. It stars real-life siblings Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem. The trailer looks good and if it’s as good as the remake, then it can make a mark in the metros at least. The hype however is limited and looks quite niche. Hence, the reach will be limited despite good response.

A DEATH IN THE GUNJ: It marks the directorial debut of Konkona Sen Sharma and stars Vikrant Massey, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, late Om Puri and many others. It is a period film based in 1979 in a small gunj. The film has been screened at various festivals and response has been highly positive. Sadly, it’s a very niche film and such films never succeed commercially.

DEAR MAYA: It marks the return of Manisha Koirala after a hiatus. The trailer promises an interesting fare. Again, the excitement is zero and this will surely lead to very poor collections.

HANUMAN DA DAMDAAR: It is an animated film and based on Lord Hanuman with a difference. That’s because the gods here are seen in talking in contemporary Hindi. Salman Khan himself has voiced Lord Hanuman. However, this casting coup hasn’t yielded any results and the film is all set for a poor opening.

SWEETIEE WEDS NRI: It stars Yaariyan actor Himansh Kohli along with The Expose heroine Zoya Afroz. The trailer is decent and the songs are eye catching. But the hype isn’t much that will pull audiences to theatres. The collections in fact can be disastrous.

MIRROR GAME: Getting audiences to see a psychological thriller is always difficult. And when the star cast is weak (but talented) like Parvin Dabas, Pooja Batra and Omi Vaidya, the chances of its success are even weak. Mirror Game can have the poorest collections of all these films sadly though it can be a thrilling fare.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ANY OF THESE FILMS AND WHY? DO LET ME KNOW!

After heartbreaks, low phases and going off-track, Manisha Koirala says she has now made peace with her past
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; May 15, 2017)

She's back on the B- Town scene after — as she puts it — facing death and no more of taking your health for granted. When we meet Manisha Koirala at a suburban club at a little after 9.30 pm, we see no signs of exhaustion although she has been giving back-to-back interviews for the past few hours for the promotions of her upcoming film, Sunaina Bhatnagar’s Dear Maya. Manisha has two more projects lined up — Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt in which she essays the actor’s mother, Nargis Dutt, and Bombay Talkies 2 in which she features in the segment directed by Dibakar Banerjee. As she sits down for a chat, she keeps wiping her face with a wet tissue. Excerpts:

Do you find the pace of promotions hectic now?
It is indeed hectic. I am doing it after a gap and things have changed. I consider myself old-school, but I am keeping up with the times. But, I do not want to overdo things that can take a toll on my energy. I want to strike a balance. I am doing whatever I can for Dear Maya. There is so much competition now. The audience has too many choices; they could rather be watching a movie on Netflix [instead of your film in theatres]. We have to push little harder to lure the audience.

How do you look at the new phase of your life?
I am grateful for a new lease of life. My battle with cancer opened my eyes to several things. In the last five years, I had a lot of time to introspect. I consider myself in a better space now. I don’t want to look back. I have had my bad times. I have had heartbreaks, low phases and gone off track, but it has been a learning phase. I am content with life and have made peace with many things including my relationship with my parents. What matters to me is that I remain happy. I know it is not going to be easy. I don’t want a man in my life now. I don’t want to shake up my life again.

What were your apprehensions about a comeback?
I was coming back after a break, so I was keen to get it right. I was conscious about the decisions that I needed to take. The script, producer, director — everything had to be right. At the same time, I didn’t want to push myself. I want to enjoy my work and don’t want to do what I did in my 20s. I have made compartments in my life; I want to enjoy them all.

How is the shoot of Bombay Talkies 2 coming along?
I feature in one of the segments directed by Dibakar Banerjee. I play a mother of two who loves the water. I was a jury member at the Dubai Film Festival where his 2006 film Khosla Ka Ghosla was screened. Dibakar is a new-age director with new vision. I was hoping to work with him one day, and now I have got the chance.

Initially, you had reservations about playing Nargis Dutt in the Dutt biopic?
When casting agent Mukesh Chabbra called me for it, my first reaction was, ‘What? I have to play Baba’s (Sanjay Dutt) mother now?’ We have done several films (Yalgaar, 1991; Sanam, 1997; Kartoos, 1999). I was always a tomboy on the set when shooting with Baba. I had my reservations as I would end up playing mother’s roles. I know how the industry functions. I pondered over it for a while and then said yes. I thought to myself, when will I get to play Nargis Dutt again. When I told my mother, she was excited about it. She told me about Nargisji and her trademark white sarees. I am looking forward to the film.

Have you interacted with the Dutts recently?
No, I am going with Rajji’s [Hirani] vision. I had once met Priya Dutt on a flight to New York where I was headed for a medical checkup. I have always admired the work she does for Nargis Dutt Cancer Foundation. Last month, she invited me for a cancer survivors event, I told her, ‘now tell me about your mom’. She handed me a book, Mr and Mrs Dutt, (co-written with sister Namrata Dutt Kumar).

Your brother Siddharth Koirala has disappeared from Bollywood.
He is back home in Nepal and into politics now. He is married and has a daughter.

Ahead of her comeback, the actor is glad that Hindi cinema has evolved from dancing around trees, even though she thoroughly enjoyed doing just that
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 14, 2017)

"I’ve been figuring out how I want to lead my life, so it has been an internal journey,” Manisha Koirala says of her last few years when we meet her at an Andheri club. The actor, who has been in remission for the last five years, makes her comeback with Dear Maya where she plays a middle-aged recluse. Koirala will also star as Nargis Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on Sanjay Dutt and in Dibakar Banerjee’s next. Returning to films following her tryst with the debilitating health condition, Koirala never had a Plan B. “I never considered changing my line of work. If at all, I thought of not working at all,” she smiles.

Koirala acknowledges that her life-threatening condition altered her outlook. Today, she is unfazed by all that life lobs at her. “There were times when I was so emotionally fragile that the smallest of things would break me. If there was a bad article about me, my day would be bad. But after going through this disease (laughs), I’ve realised, nothing is that important. It has given me courage and wisdom to accept situations as they are.”

The actor who made her debut in Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar and went on to act in blockbusters such as Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical and 1942: A Love Story, is glad that Hindi cinema evolved from just “dancing around trees”. “While I enjoyed the fantasy and dreamy films that were made when I began acting, my personal choice was always closer to the films being made now — subtle and less melodramatic,” says Koirala, who lists Masoom, Arth and Saaransh as her childhood favourites “because they were more realistic”. “Even in school, if I really wanted to do something, I would do it right, else I was not a great student. So, this reflected in my work too.”

Accepting the role of Nargis Dutt in the Sanjay Dutt biopic also meant playing onscreen mother to an adult — a first for Koirala. “Honestly, I had my reservations and was slightly apprehensive. But then, I didn’t care because I’m getting to work with a good director and portray the legendary Nargis Dutt, so my insecurities weren’t worth entertaining,” says the actress who fell in love with Hirani’s “style of storytelling” after watching 3 Idiots.

Following mixed success in the last decade, Koirala is more open to failure today. “I just did films in gaps, some happened to be good, some weren’t, which is a part of the whole thing,” admits Koirala, who moved to France briefly during one such ‘gap’. “My mother always wanted me to be independent. When you’re a film actor, you have too many things available to you. Even at shoots, someone holds your umbrella. Since I love Paris, I rented an apartment there to experience how it felt to do things on my own. I always loved to cook but there, I’d shop for groceries and do other chores too. I couldn’t speak in French and no one spoke English so I learnt how to communicate non-verbally. I only had one or two friends there, so I had to make new friends. It opened me up and gave me the confidence that I can be Manisha Koirala without the tag of a celebrity or star and yet, be happy,” she says with the disclaimer that she’s unsure if she’d do it again.

Currently, Koirala is directing all her efforts to stay healthy. Non-negotiables include keeping the body alkaline, getting 8-9 hours of sleep, sticking to an 80 per cent vegetarian diet and most importantly, staying positive. “Scientist and biologist, Dr Bruce Lipton says that even if you have mutative genes but you are positive and healthy, they may not be expressed,” says Koirala, who blames the demands of her profession for derailing her health.

“As an actor, you’re focused on how you look, rather than being healthy. You become skinny or you’re pumping yourself with steroids. Going through the experience (ovarian cancer) made me realise that external beauty is important but I need to have vitality and energy too.” Koirala feels she paid little attention to her health during her prime. “During my younger days, I’d work for 18 hours and do three shifts a day. I never took a Sunday off or went on a holiday. Your mind is numb, your body is tired and you’re just working like a robot,” says the actor who now wants to “focus on work and disconnect too”. A spiritual sojourn to Kailash and an escape to Italy are on the cards this year. “At the age that I am in, I want to embrace life,” says the 46-year-old.

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 3, 2017)

Manisha Koirala preps up for a new film, reveals she will adopt a girl child next year and is in the process of writing her memoir
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 8, 2016)



Manisha Koirala is back in action. At 2.30 pm, in her Versova apartment, she changes from one outfit to another with professional ease for the look test of Promita Sengupta's directorial debut, Maulali, which rolls towards the year-end. "She's written a really good script, there's drama, comedy and revenge. It challenges me and though it's her first film, I'm confident she'll deliver. At this age I don't want to take chances with a wrong film," asserts the 46-year-old actress who plays a Bihari-Muslim who reunites with her lost son after years.

Manisha herself wants to adopt a girl next year. It's been four years since she was diagnosed with cancer and the crisis seems to have passed. "I am extremely close to my family but they live in Nepal. I feel lonely when I come back to an empty house. There's a need for human bonding, I've wanted to adopt since I was a child," she reveals.

In 2010, she married Nepali businessman Samrat Dahal. They were divorced two years later but Manisha's still open to the idea of marriage. "Who wouldn't want to get married? Initially it's great, but later, you never know. If somebody nice comes along, I may think about it. What's important at present is a sense of family which will come with the adoption," she says.

For now, Manisha's busy with script readings and working on her Bihari and Urdu accent. Her coactors are being flown down for workshops and Promita is discussing costumes with her. "I'm mostly behind the scenes too, lecturing everyone. Filmmaking is a team effort," says the actress.

She is looking forward to returning to Kolkata where she shot Rituparno Ghosh's 2008 Bengali film, Khela. She feels at home in the city with its culture of music and its Tagore stories she's read over the years. "During Khela, a special fish curry would be made for me every day. I also love mishti doi. Rituda took me shopping for cotton sarees," she reminisces.

She's completed another film, Dear Maya, and there are two-three other offers. But she hasn't signed any other film yet. "I want to do roles I haven't done before. I also want to direct. I have stories of struggle and triumph but haven't sat on them yet. I want to make an off-beat film and I won't act in it," she avers.

She'll soon be a certified yoga teacher and after she finishes Maulali, she wants to do a course in integrative nutrition. "I want to teach people how to live a holistic life. I'm obsessed with being healthy, constantly reading, researching and sharing my knowledge with others," says Manisha who also intends to write a book. "It will be my reflections on life and films. When I was unwell I made lots of notes. I've promised my publisher I'll deliver it to them next year."