Manisha Koirala is a Nepalese actress, born on August 16, 1970, in Biratnagar, Nepal. Manisha has worked mostly in Hindi and Tamil cinema, in commercial and art films. Her grandfather, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, was the former Prime Minister of Nepal. Manisha started her career in the Nepali film ‘Pheri Bhetaula’ in 1989. Her next, and her Hindi debut, was Subhash Ghai’s successful ‘Saudagar’ in 1991. The drama starred Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar in a story like Romeo and Juliet. In 1995, she starred in the Tamil romantic drama ‘Bombay’, written and directed by Mani Ratnam. The controversial film featured an inter-religious love story between a Muslim woman and a Hindu man.
Manisha won a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for the movie. Other successful films during the 90s were: ’Agni Sakshi’ (1996), ‘Indian’ (Tamil/1996), ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’ (1996), winning a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) ‘Gupt: The Hidden Truth’ (1997), ‘Dil Se…’ (1998), ‘Lajja’ (2002), and ‘Company’ (2002), winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics). In 2001, she was honored by the Government of Nepal for her achievements in the Indian Film Industry. In 2004, Manisha earned a diploma in filmmaking from New York University and produced a caper-comedy chick flick, ‘Paisa Vasool’, co-starring Sushmita Sen. Movies of note in the 2000s are: ‘Escape From Taliban’ (2004), ‘Mehbooba’ (2009), and ‘Mappillai’ (Tamil/2011). In 2012, Manisha was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and stopped working. Four years later, she was cancer-free and she gradually started working again. In 2018, she appeared as a woman having an affair in ‘Lust Stories’ for Netflix. She won the 2018 Streaming Award for Breakthrough Performance for her portrayal. Manisha portrayed iconic actress Nargis in the biopic ‘Sanju’, the highest-grossing film of 2018. She was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s web series for Netflix ‘Heeramandi’ (2024), as Mallikajaan, a famous courtesan during the Indian independence movement. Manisha is involved with many organizations promoting women’s rights, preventing human trafficking, and in cancer education.
