Manisha Koirala made her debut in the movies with Subhash Ghai’s 1991 film Saudagar and soon after she was the next big star in Hindi cinema. With films like 1942: A Love Story, Criminal, Manisha was on her way to becoming one of the most popular actors of this era and it was around this time, that Manisha was offered the lead role in Mani Ratnam’s Bombay. In a recent interview, Manisha said that she was a “little apprehensive” before taking up the film.
The Mann actor shared that during those days, mainstream female actors were discouraged from taking up parts where they had to play a mother. “I was not wise back then,” Manisha said in a chat with YouTube channel O2 India. She shared that back then, people were of the opinion that if a leading female actor plays a mother, she would be typecast as a mother.
“I remember I got an offer of Bombay. I had heard the music, but I had not seen Roja. But I knew that Roja is a big hit. But when I was asked to do Bombay, I was a little apprehensive. I was not wise back then. So there were a lot of norms in Bollywood in those days. Like a heroine cannot do a mother’s role, otherwise a heroine will be typecast forever as a mother. And I used to listen to those things because those are the people who come and tell you that,” she said.
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Manisha recalled that amid all this noise, it was cinematographer Ashok Mehta, whom she had worked with in Saudagar, told her that she would be an “idiot” if she does not take up Bombay. “Ashok Mehta fired me and said, ‘beta, what are you doing? Do you know the kind of filmmaker he is? Do you know the level of good work he has continuously churned out? And his last film was a big commercial success too. You are an idiot if you refuse this film’. And that jolted me. Then mom and me went to Chennai. I did a look test and a photo shoot and then it was decided that I will play Shaila Banu,” she said.
Manisha said that she was “really happy” that she decided to do this film. “Because that whole story ends with people coming together despite the divisiveness, despite the trouble. I like the philosophy of the film,” she said.
Manisha was last seen in Kartik Aaryan-starrer Shehzada. She will soon be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s web series Heeramandi.
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