Manisha Koirala: Being Away Helped Me Look At Life Differently

MUMBAI, (IANS) – Actress Manisha Koirala said that being away from the film industry helped her to look at life in a different way.

She said being in front of the camera and moving away as “enriching”.

Manisha, has made her series debut with Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.

Talking about how staying away from the industry affected her as a person and if the break made her a different person, Manisha, who was last seen in ‘Shehzada’ in 2023, said, “You know definitely when I was younger, I was really different but with years and many experiences that you have had you evolve and hope to evolve.”

“So, yeah, being away from the industry also has helped me to look at life in a different way because as an actor we see ourselves in a different way, we see the world in a different way because the spotlight is always on us.”

“But when you are no longer in the center of attention and are at the periphery of the attention, that is a great spiritual experience, and a great awareness happens. It was an enriching experience when I was an actor as well as when I was away from it. Both were important for me,” she said.

On playing Mallikajaan, Manisha said, “I can only say that it was possible because of a genius behind the camera, who directs so minutely and so much in detail that we as actors look so good on screen. We don’t know what we have done. He just takes that out from us.”

Manisha and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali reunited after over two decades for the series. They had first worked together in the 1996 film ‘Khamoshi: The Musical’.

Manisha said, “I waited 28 years for Sanjay to call me. It was a pleasure. It was a pleasure back then and it is a pleasure and is an honor to be working with that genius.”