Manisha Koirala has spirituality to thank for her happiness and might be penning a book on it too, as we find out!

She might have been born in Nepal, but to millions in India, she’s considered a true Indian icon. Her journey began in 1989 with a debut in the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula, but it was her entry into Bollywood with Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar (1991) that marked the start of her widespread recognition. Manisha Koirala’s fame skyrocketed with Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 1942: A Love Story (1994) and she quickly won the hearts of Indian audiences with her Tamil debut in Mani Ratnam’s Bombay (1995). The following years saw her shine in Khamoshi: The Musical (1996) and Indian (1996) and she continued to captivate audiences with her roles in Dil Se (1998) and Mudhalvan (1999). While her career had its ups and downs, she made a powerful return last year with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s period drama Heeramandi. Recently, Tanishq’s latest campaign featured the iconic song Aaj Main Upar from Khamoshi, with Manisha revisiting the track, bringing a sense of nostalgia to her fans. We caught up with her to dive into the experience behind this beautiful new project.

Tell us about revisiting Aaj Main Upar from Khamoshi?

For me, it was really a déjavu. You know, back then, when the song was released as part of the soundtrack for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), I had loved the song and really enjoyed performing it. Now, getting to be part of this new version with one of my favourite jewellery brands… it was truly a lovely experience. I really enjoyed it and it was so much fun!

We’ve seen you over the years and you don’t seem like someone who wears bling off-camera?

I actually love jewellery, but I don’t wear a lot of it that often. I reserve it for special occasions. I wear it to events and I always match my jewellery to what I am wearing. I think jewellery adds magic to our lives — romance, a little glitter and a lot of glamour.

We miss you in South Indian films. Are you planning to return?

I would love to. Honestly speaking, my experience with films in the South has been wonderful. I worked with the best actors, directors and filmmakers — be it Mani Ratnam, Shankar, Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth and so many others. All my experiences there have been phenomenal. I would love to be part of any project there, as long as I get to do some meaningful work. Somehow, the content everywhere has been fairly typical. I mean, some great content has been coming out on OTT and I would love to be part of any good story, any project with a great director and any role that excites me.

How have you stayed so beautiful over the years?

Honestly, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I think a lot of it has to do with my genes, but my outlook on beauty is basically about staying healthy, staying fresh, being joyful, being kind, compassionate and loving yourself.

You’re one of the few actresses who have openly embraced your spiritual journey. Could you tell us more about that?

I feel a spiritual journey eventually becomes very important to anyone. Each individual has the full freedom to decide for themselves when they’d like that journey to begin — or, if they’re atheist, then never. Spirituality has helped me a lot. I’ve gone through hell and back and it has given me a different perspective. It made my worldview much broader. I feel spirituality, for me, has been the most important teacher when it comes to enjoying life and accepting it. It has also taught me how to live a fulfilled life. In recent times, I feel mental fitness is just as, if not more, important than physical fitness and I’m happy that spirituality has helped me so much in this journey.

What are you working on next?

For the next few months, I’m not doing anything specific, except that I’m working on a book in my head. I’m dabbling with the idea and of course, reading scripts and deciding which project, film, or web series I would like to take on next.

Email: romal@newindianexpress.com

X: @elromal