My heart is perfectly safe: Manisha

She came on Bollywood horizon, gave some mind-boggling performances and conquered the imagination of movie buffs with her innocence and charm in movies like Lajja, 1942: A Love Story, Dil Se, Bombay, Agni Sakshi and Escape From Taliban.

But a spate of bad films and rumours of her unprofessional behaviour made Manisha Koirala an touchable, literally. Now the talented actress is back with a bang after a self-imposed exile, with some exciting projects in her kitty. An elated Manisha tells NT about all the positive things happening in her life.

One thing that's exciting her these days is her intense role in Raajitesh Nayar's Sirf -- Life Looks Greener On The Other Side. Talking about it, Manisha says, "It's a film, which has 4 to 5 parallel stories. I play the role of an upper crust professional, who's married to a businessman and feels an acute vacuum in her life. It's very close to life kind of film and deals with the problems of people living in the cities, in a tongue-in-cheek way." But this storyline sounds similar to Life In A... Metro. So what sets her film apart? "I haven't seen Life......But I was told that it's a fabulous movie. It's the treatment and characterisation that will set the two films apart," answers the actress.

Manisha's working with Kay Kay Menon for the first time. What does she have to say about her versatile co-star? "In our industry overdramatisation is generally perceived as good performance. But that's more like nautanki. Kay Kay on the other hand is the master of subtlety and that makes him stand apart in this melee!"

But then Kay Kay with his rugged looks is also known to make the girls of all age groups swoon. How will Manisha safeguard her poor heart? She laughs throatily and says, "Darling, my heart is extremely safe and secure!" Just try digging deeper and the pretty woman giggles and says, "I am not saying anything else on this one!"

And where has she been all this while, not having been seen in any of the movies for so long? "I was touring all over the world- from France to Europe and interiors of India," says she, adding, "It has been a spiritual journey for me. And I discovered myself through Amma Bhagwan, the spiritual guru, who guided me in this voyage. One of my friends from Denmark had told me about the guru four years back but I guess it is my karma that I could complete this beautiful inner journey now."

So did she go through the entire rigamarole of past life regression? "I have always been a seeker and let me put it this way, I got all the answers that were bothering me earlier," she reveals.

Manisha will also be seen in some other interesting projects. She says, "I am in serious discussions with Kalpana Lajmi and Deepti Naval for their respective projects but till the time the films are signed and sealed, I wouldn't like to talk about them. Then there's a film by a British producer, which is in the pipeline."

Doesn't it make her little sad that despite their obvious calibre, actresses like her and Tabu are not getting too many roles written for them? Manisha admits in her inimitable forthright manner, "Yes, it is a sad thing. People don't realise that age and varied experiences of life make you a better performer. But then after having done some fabulous work with the best directors, I probably don't have that burning ambition to prove myself at 37, as a 16 or a 20-year-old actress would have! But if I get a good role, I will give it my 100 per cent!"

TNN