Hotty Stars: MANISHA KOIRALA

HOT MANISHA

Date of Birth 16 August 1970, Kathmandu, Nepal

Birth Name Manisha B. Koirala

Nickname "Manya", "Manu"

Height 5' 5"

Manisha was born in the Nepali Koirala family on August 16, 1970. Her dad, B.P. Koirala, was Nepal's Prime Minister before her birth, while two of her paternal grandfather's brothers, Girja Prasad Koirala, and M.P. Koirala were also Nepali Prime Ministers during the 1990s.

Manisha grew up with her paternal grandmother in Varanasi, India. She studied in Vasant Kanya Mahavidhyalay. Then she re-located to New Delhi and was enrolled in Army Public School. After completing her school, Manisha had planned to study medicine and become a doctor.

Instead of becoming a doctor, fate led her to modeling, and then onto the tinsel screen in Nepal in a 1989 movie 'Pheri Betaula'. She then re-located to Bombay and debuted in a Bollywood movie titled 'First Love Letter' which was released in 1991.

Manisha has won five awards for her performance in 'Bombay', 'Khamoshi: The Musical'(two awards), 'Company', and 'Escape from Taliban'.

She has obtained a Diploma in Film Making from New York, U.S.A., and is a member of the Independent Film-Makers Society. She is also the goodwill ambassador on U.N.F.P.A.. She is actively involved in bettering the status of women, women's rights, prevention of violence against women, as well as in the active prevention human trafficking, especially Nepali women, who are abducted and sold as prostitutes. She is well versed in the Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dance forms.

Manisha is engaged to Christpin Conroy, the Australian ambassador to Nepal

Manisha B Koirala was born on 16th August 1970 in Kathmandu Nepal. Her family is one of the leading political parties in Nepal. Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala who was the Prime Minister of Nepal is her grandfather. Her uncles Girija Prasad Koirala and M.P.Koirala were also Prime Ministers. She has a brother Siddharth Koirala, an actor.

She did her schooling in India at the Army Public School in New Delhi and Vasant Kanya Mahavidhyalaya in Varanasi.

She is an ambassador for UNFPA and is vocal about the causes she fights for like women’s rights.

Koirala has dated many men like Nana Patekar, Rahul Roy, Crispin Conroy, Cecil Anthony and Christopher Dorris.

1989 to 1999 Manisha Koirala made her debut as an actress in a Nepali movie Pheri Bhetaula (1989). Her debut in Bollywood was with the hit Saudagar (1991) about two lovers caught in a family feud. Her role as Rajjo opposite Anil Kapoor in 1942: A Love Story (1994) was again a critical and commercial success.

In 1995, she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for her role in Bombay (1995). She played a Muslim woman who marries a Hindu man and they get caught in the communal riots in Mumbai. In Akele Hum Akele Tum(1995) she played a woman who is forced to choose between her husband and her career.

She was seen with Nana Patekar in Agni Sakshi and Khamoshi: A Musical in 1996. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: A Musical saw her as Annie, a girl whose parents are deaf mute. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) was another hit in which she acted with Bobby Deol and Kajol. She played a terrorist opposite shah Rukh Khan in Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se (1998).

2000 to 2009 Grahan (2001) saw her as a rape victim. While the movie failed, Lajja (2001) won a lot of praise. Her role in Ram Gopal Varma’s Company (2002) won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.

Her release in 2002, Ek Choti Si Love Story got caught up in a lot of controversy as Manisha Koirala accused the director of using a body double without her permission. She continued to experiment as an actress and was seen in Escape from Taliban (2003) which was based on a true story.

After studying film making in New York, she directed the movie Paisa Vasool (2004) in which she starred along with Sushmita Sen. The movie had an average run. She did not have any major hits. Some of her movies were Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), Anwar (2007), Sirf (2008) and Khela (2008).

“I wish I could be like other actresses who claim they haven’t kissed even at the age of 27!I can’t see myself changing nappies and cooking dinner for too long. I’m too independent to live off a man’s earnings.”

“I live my life openly, and I don’t have double standards. Bollywood is very male dominated and hypocritical. It makes its women dance semi-nude on screen, but when it comes to life beyond the screen, it expects them to be virgin white. But I refuse to lead a double life. I am what I am on the surface. Yes I party a lot, I have my friends, but that doesn’t make me a coke addict.”

“I was not serious initially. I thought I would do a couple of films and go back to studies…”

“I can’t play chulbuli roles all over again. Give me roles like I had in Company and Escape from Taliban and I will happily do them. I came from nowhere, made a mark. I am happy. Looking back there are no regrets.”

“In Nepal, where I come from, people die for their beliefs. I can never compromise on my principles. I can’t play games to get roles.”

Saudagar [ Dilip Kumar , Raaj Kumar , Manisha Koirala ]
1942: A Love Story [ Anil Kapoor , Manisha Koirala , Jackie Shroff , Anupam Kher ]
Bombay [ Arvind Swamy , Manisha Koirala ]
Akele Hum Akele Tum [ Aamir Khan , Manisha Koirala ]
Agni Sakshi [ Jackie Shroff , Nana Patekar and Manisha Koirala ]
Khamoshi: The Musical [Nana Patekar , Salman Khan , Manisha Koirala , Seema Biswas ]
Gupt: The Hidden Truth [ Bobby Deol , Manisha Koirala , Kajol , Paresh Rawal , Om Puri ]
Dil Se [ Shahrukh Khan , Manisha Koirala , Preity Zinta ]
Mann [ Aamir Khan , Manisha Koirala , Sharmila Tagore ]
Kachche Dhaage [ Ajay Devgan , Saif Ali Khan , Manisha Koirala ]
Company [ Ajay Devgan , Manisha Koirala , Vivek Oberoi , Mohanlal ]
Escape From Taliban [ Manisha Koirala , Nawab Khan ]
Indian [ Kamal Hassan , Manisha Koirala ]
Mudhalvan [ Arjun , Manisha Koirala ]
Aalavandhan [ Kamal Hassan , Manisha Koirala ]
Baba [ Rajanikanth , Manisha Koirala ]
Mumbai Express [ Kamal Hassan , Manisha Koirala ]

She broke off her engagement to Crispin Conroy, the Australian Ambassador to Nepal in 2001. “Just yesterday I wanted to marry Crispin and have his babies. Today we’ve drifted apart. The truth is, Crispin wanted to marry this May. When the date came close I developed cold feet. I realised I wasn’t ready for marriage. Like they say, sometimes the man is right but the time isn’t.” Now she has been linked with an Italian businessman.

In 2002, The actress accused the director of the film Ek Chotisi Love Story Shashilal Nair of shooting obscene postures using another actress in her place, without Manisha’s approval. Koirala also stated that Nair accepted to reshoot the scenes provided she bears half the expenses.

The actress sued Nair and dragged him to the court of law. She prayed for deleting the obscene postures which she didn’t do.Finally, the court stayed the release of the film.

There was an agitation in Nepal following a media report which stated that Koirala had named her pet dog after a revered Muslim figure.She was given police security. Koirala denied the facts and the Police said that the actress had no pet at all.