With each and every experience of my life, I have enriched myself, says actress Manisha Koirala, who plays the titular role in the film Dear Maya. By Unnati Joshi
As Manisha Koirala enters Tamasha, a restaurant in CP, my mind goes back to the time when Javed Akhtar told us, “Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga, jaise khilta gulab, jaise shayar ka khwab...” Draped in a navy blue dress she has her glow intact. “Welcome back,” I say. “Films are part of my life. I have spent more than 20-25 years and have enjoyed acting. Where else will I goIJ I love cinema. I had to come back,” she quips.
A cancer survivor, she continues to be tough as nails on the job. little wonder then that she is back as the protagonist with Dear Maya. Having worked with the likes of Mani Ratnam, Sanjay leela Bansali, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Subhash Ghai, she is now working with debutant director Sunaina Bhatnagar. “Dear Maya happened as my heart was in it. Once I read the script I wanted to meet Sunaina right after. And when I met her, I knew that her sensibility was correct. She was bringing in the right kind of people in the project. So somehow I got a confidence that though it’s her first film, she would make a very good one. Contemporary directors, the younger lot, they are the future. They are making such wonderful films, which is not how we used to have it previously. It’s a great time to be working as an actor. I didn’t get such a variety of content and characterisation in my time,” she tells us.
Quiz director Bhatnagar about the idea behind the film and she shares, “I had read a newspaper clipping about two years ago which was about this lady who locked herself in the house for 30 years after she was traumatised by the Sikh riots in 1984. She came out of the house in 2014. That was how my story started. I think it’s a new way of talking about life.”
The film is about two girls, Anna and Ira, who prank a closeted local woman, Maya Devi, by writing her letters from a secret admirer. The prank takes a serious turn when she goes missing, ostensibly in search of her admirer and seeking hope. “Honestly, I didn’t interact much with the girls but they are very bright, beautiful and talented. Most of the people in this unit were very young and were most focussed about their work. I just love that energy that the younger generation has,” Manisha says.
About her character, she adds, “I get excited when I have to play something out of the ordinary which is not the repetition of something that I have done before. And with this character, there was a chance for me and I just embraced it. As actors, we are striving for roles where we can extend ourselves.”
Any similarities between Maya and herIJ She laughs and says, “This, I get a lot these days. I always wonder if there is any, but I don’t think so. It is so unusual and something that’s far from me. I had to understand Maya Devi’s psychology. I used to ask Sunaina a lot of questions because she is the creator and writer of the script. I would ask, ‘what did Maya Devi go through in life that she is so fearfulIJ’ As once I get the psychology of the character, it’s easier. Also, there is this message that this film has, which is very close to me. It is the message of never giving up and saying yes to life. To never lose hope as the world is not a bad place, there are good people too.”
Was she apprehensive about the de-glam look or was she doing it because it’s a trend these daysIJ “You girls will decide the trends. I have no idea about trends. I didn’t do it because it was a trend. I just did it because the script was brilliant. As long as the script is good, I don’t mind playing such characters.”
About her life so far, Manisha shares, “As an actor, you guys tell me. It’s because of the audience and the viewers that we work. You have to tell me whether I have become better or not. And as a human being, with each and every experience of my life, I have enriched myself. I feel humbled.”
Carrying the film on her shoulders, at one time Manisha was placed opposite the three superstar Khans in films like Dil Se.., Khamoshi: The Musical and Mann and yet managed to leave her mark. She says she enjoyed working with them. “All of them are good actors, they are all superstars. They are good people.”
Manisha also campaigns for cancer and has lent her support to preventing violence against women and human trafficking. Does her celebrity status help in making a differenceIJ “I really believe that the situation can be tough, easy or whatever. And if you have that fire inside you and use that situation in certain way, then life becomes easy. You become that kind of person who doesn’t get bogged down with whatever life throws at you. So, I think yes, any celebrity, not only a film personality, would have certain impact on society. But having said that, do not put them on a balustrade and say you have to do it. Don’t strangle them with expectations because at the end of the day they are also human beings. I feel being responsible in any way is good. Even people who are not celebrities should be responsible.”
Ask Manisha if she faced any difficulty while shooting a grey character like Maya Devi and she says, “It was challenging but I will tell you a secret. Whenever I am working with a good director or a good team, the work becomes easier. Half of the work they already do and then we sit and bring out certain small nuances together. With a good team, it might look challenging but is a lot easier.”
Finding love in middle age sure looks like a fairy tale on TV but is it so real lifeIJ “Honestly, I know a lady who got married at 70. There’s always hope. Not only about marriage and love but about anything in life. I am a firm believer that if we really want something in life, we can achieve that. All we need to do is work hard, be agile and be passionate about it.”
Future plansIJ “Some good films and maybe a healthy happy life. Perhaps a book. I want to go beyond normal, beyond what I have done,” she concludes.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar