Manisha Koirala’s two-decade sojourn in B-town

How did you view your character,Rubina,a girl from strife-torn Kashmir?
Frankly I was a little sceptical about my character. I felt there was some resemblance to the character that I had earlier essayed in Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se…,especially in the looks department. So I had a chat about it with Onir. He agreed to rework that aspect and changed the way I was to cover my head etc.

So what is Rubina like?
Rubina doesn’t speak much,but the angst within her is visible on her face. But she is not as volatile as my character in Dil Se…was. She is definitely more mature. The story is about the pain of the people of Kashmir,those who live there (that’s me) and those who have left their homes. Juhi Chawla portrays one such character.

Isn’t it strange that you and Juhi were contemporaries for a long time,but never worked together till now?
Yes,we bumped into each other so many times but never got a chance to work together. Even though we only shot for I AM about a week together I was touched by her pleasant personality –– she was always full of life and positive. She was the life on the set.

How was it working with Onir?
He\’s a very creative director. And when there was a cash crunch,he found a novel way to collect the money. Requesting people to pool in their bit on the social networking site Facebook was commendable. I believe that the film is co-produced by 400 people across 35 cities.

What are your expectations from the film?
I only wish people say that Manisha has done a good job in the film!

When do we get to see Deepti Naval’s Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish?
I think she’s trying to work out the release with a distributor. It should release some time this year. It’s an interesting film and revolves around three characters –– a street-walker (played by me),my child and a lyricist.

How do you look back at your 20-year journey in the film industry?
It’s been a wonderful journey! I would say too much happened too early and too soon. After Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar,which became a major hit, I was taken aback by all the adulation and offers and I was soon shooting 24/7. There were good films,some not-so-good movies,but overall it has been great.

According to you,what have been the high-points of your career?
There were so many but I remember some films like Lajja,Bombay,Agnisakshi,Gupt,Mann and Dil Se… very fondly because that’s when I met some good actors like Madhuri Dixit,Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.

Are you still in touch with people from the industry?
Of course,I’m in touch with Deepti Naval, photographer Ashok Mehta,Deepa Mehta,Jackie Shroff and Sudhir Mishra. I saw Yeh Saali Zindagi recently and found it interesting.

What would attract you to another film or a television show?
After working with Onir and his team,which seemed like home,a great team like that would attract me to take up a project. But as of now,I am not really inclined towards work. I am enjoying life with my husband. I spend my time reading and watching films. I watch two to three films a day,most of them international. In fact,I was just watching The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest.

What about regional films? You have done the Bengali movie Khela,Mappillai in Tamil and Elektra in Malayalam.
I am not really open to the idea of doing any regional film,unless something really unique comes up.

You had produced the chick-flick,Paisa Vasool. Are you likely to get into production again or direction for that matter?
I will get back,but I am not sure whether it will be acting,direction or production. My husband,Samrat,is very supportive of my work.

geety.sahgal@expressindia.com