Manisha Koirala is a Nepalese actress known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. Koirala's acting debut was in the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989). Two years later, she made her Bollywood debut in Subhash Ghai's Saudagar, which was a commercial success. However, she followed this by appearing in a series of films which performed poorly at the box office, including First Love Letter (1991), Anmol (1993), and Dhanwan (1993). Koirala's career had a turnaround when she starred as the daughter of a freedom fighter in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 1942: A Love Story (1994). Her performance was critically acclaimed and she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. The following year, Koirala received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil for playing a Muslim married to a Hindu during the 1992–1993 Bombay riots in the Mani Ratnam-directed Tamil drama Bombay (1995).
For playing the daughter of a mute and deaf couple in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Koirala garnered a second consecutive Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. She followed this with leading roles in Agni Sakshi (1996) and Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), which were among the highest-grossing Indian films of their respective years. She played a terrorist opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se.. (1998), the first Indian film to reach the top ten in the United Kingdom box office. However, Koirala's roles in films which performed poorly at the box office, such as Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein (1997), and Achanak (1998), led to a decline in her film career. She made her television debut in 2000 as the co-host of the game show Sawaal Dus Crore Ka with Anupam Kher. The show's poor ratings led to both Kher and Koirala being fired. For her role as a gangster's girlfriend in Ram Gopal Varma's 2002 crime drama Company, she received her third Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress. Koirala also appeared in the controversial film Ek Chhotisi Love Story in which she played a woman secretly spied upon by a teenage voyeur. The following year, her portrayal of Bengali writer Sushmita Banerjee in the drama Escape from Taliban garnered her the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress (Hindi).
Koirala's career continued to decline during mid 2000s, as she appeared in less mainstream films. In 2004, she made her debut as a producer with the film Paisa Vasool, which performed poorly at the box office. The following year, she portrayed Mughal princess Jahan Ara in the historical drama Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story. In 2008, Koirala starred in Rituparno Ghosh's Khela, where she played a woman in a troubled marriage. Two years later, she appeared as an adulterous wife in the Malayalam drama Elektra. The following year, she played a Kashmiri Muslim attempting to restore a childhood friendship in Onir's anthology film I Am (2011). In 2012, she appeared in Ram Gopal Varma's horror sequel Bhoot Returns as the mother of a possessed daughter. Later that year, she took a break from acting after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After six months of treatment, Koirala recovered from the condition. Three years later, she returned to acting with the psychological thriller Chehere: A Modern Day Classic (2015).
Film
Year Title Role(s) Language(s) Notes Ref(s)1989Pheri BhetaulaNepali1991SaudagarRadha Singh ThakurHindiFirst Love Letter1992Yalgaar1993Insaaniyat Ke DevtaNishaAnmolAnmolDhanwanImli1994Yuhi KabhiPoojaMilanPriya1942: A Love StoryNominated—Filmfare Award for Best ActressCriminalSwethaTelugu HindiBilingual filmSangdil SanamSanamHindi1995CriminalSwethaBombayTamilFilmfare Critics Award for Best ActressFilmfare Award for Best Actress – TamilAnokha AndaazReema HindiGudduRam ShastraAkele Hum Akele TumNominated—Filmfare Award for Best ActressDushmani: A Violent Love Story1996Agni SakshiShubhangi / MadhuMajhdhaarIndianAishwaryaTamilKhamoshi: The MusicalAnnieHindiFilmfare Critics Award for Best ActressNominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress1997SanamSanamGupt: The Hidden TruthDil Ke Jharokhe MeinSumanLoha Rachna Special appearance1998YugpurushSunitaSalaakhen Cameo Special appearance in song "Pichhu Pade Hai"AchanakPoojaDil Se..Meghna / MoinaNominated—Filmfare Award for Best ActressMaharaja1999Kachche DhaageRukhsanaLal BaadshahKiranLaawarisJai HindSheetalMudhalvanThenmozhiTamilKartoosManpreet Kaur (Mini)HindiMannHindustan Ki KasamRoshanaara2000KhauffNeha Verma BaaghiRaniRaja Ko Rani Se Pyar Ho GayaManishaChampion2001GrahanChhupa Rustam: A Musical ThrillerNishaLajjaVaidehiAalavandhanAbhay SharmileeTamilHindiSimultaneously shot and released in Hindi and TamilMokshaHindi2002CompanySarojaFilmfare Critics Award for Best ActressJaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi KahaniVasundharaDivyaEk Chotisi Love StoryBabaChamundeswariTamil2003Escape from Taliban / Sayed KamalHindiCalcutta MailSanjanaMarket2004Paisa VasoolMariaAlso producerTum?: A Dangerous ObsessionKamini2005Chaahat – Ek NashaMumbai XpressAhalyaTamilSimultaneously shot and released in Tamil and HindiHindiTaj Mahal: An Eternal Love StoryJahan AraHindiAnjaane – The UnknownShivani2006Darwaza Bandh RakhoJulie2007AnwarAnita2008TulsiTulsiNagaram DancerTelugu Special appearance in song "Hoshiyare Hoshiyare"Sirf....Life Looks Greener on the Other SideDevikaHindiMehboobaVarsha Mehra / PayalKhelaSheelaBengali2009Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki BaarishJuhiHindi2010Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De?RashiDharmaaGauriNepaliElektraDianaMalayalam2011MappillaiRajeswariTamilNominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress (Tamil)I AmRubainaHindi2012Bhoot ReturnsNamrata2015Chehere: A Modern Day ClassicTarana2016GameOru Melliya KoduMayaKannadaSimultaneously shot in Kannada and TamilTamilEdavappathySumithra / MathangiMalayalam2017Dear MayaHindi2018Lust StoriesReenaAnthology filmSanjuNargis2019Prassthanam2020MaskaDiana Irani202199 SongsPsychologistIndia Sweets and SpicesSheila KapurEnglish2023ShehzadaYashodaHindi
Television Year Title RoleLanguage Notes 2000Sawaal Dus Crore Ka Co-hostHindi2003Larger Than Life Herself Documentary2015Femina Miss India 2015Judge2024Heeramandi:The Diamond BazaarMalikajaanNetflix Original
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