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Manisha Koirala, who is now busy working for
Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh's "Khela",
is thankful that good directors did not forget her
despite a nearly two-year-long sabbatical.
Manisha, who took time off after doing some 60 odd
films in various Indian languages, including
Bollywood flicks, is one of the few mainstream film
stars to have ventured into non-Hindi movies.
"I was bored with the roles offered to me and was
waiting for the right offer all this while. I
started shooting again in August. Thank god, good
directors did not forget me while I was away!" she
said.
Akbar Khan's "Taj Mahal: A Love Story" would
be the first release in months for the actress.
"I utilised the time to do things I wanted to do
apart from acting. I learnt moviemaking and indulged
in other activities. I even made a short film at New
York University," Manisha, who has been associated
with films for almost two decades, told in an
interview.
So, is she now equipped to make a full-length movie?
"Not really. I will need to attend a few more
classes to learn more about other streams of
filmmaking like, say, camerawork," she explained.
Talking about "Khela" that is still being shot,
Manisha said, "It is a very sensitive film.
It is about a woman whose filmmaker husband gets
busy with his work and she feels unwanted."
"I adore the way Ritu gets into a woman's head,
portrays her and her complexities."
The actress who made waves in the south with
superhits like Mani Ratnam's "Bombay"(1994)
and Sankar's "Mudhalvan" (1999) said Ghosh
was open to contributions from everybody.
"I don't know whether it is the Bengali film
industry or Ritu's movie - everybody, including the
clap-boy, tries to be creative. Ritu himself has
said that a film is made by everyone involved and
not just the director."
"Compared to that, someone like Mani Ratnam is
stricter in terms of contributions. Everything goes
according to Mani's vision of the movie."
Manisha also has Ram Gopal Varma's "Darwaza Bandh
Rakhna" and "Shiv". She will feature in "Tulsi"
with Irrfan Khan and a few untitled films.
She has joined the southern Indian production house
G.V. Films Ltd as a member of the board of
directors.
"As a member of the G.V. Films' board of directors I
will be sharing the same responsibility as other
directors. I will also be providing inputs from my
own experience in the field in the past 20 years,"
she said.
Manisha herself ventured into production with
"Paisa Vasool" (2004) that bombed at the box
office.
"I take full responsibility for the film's debacle.
I could have perhaps marketed the movie better," she
said. |
