Manisha Koirala, who ruled the big screen in the ’90s, is making a comeback. The actor and cancer survivor, who stayed away from the arc lights due her long-drawn battle with cancer, is by a twist of fate, reliving the phase (partly) in her upcoming film. Manisha will play the role of yesteryear actor Nargis, Sanjay Dutt’s mother, in the upcoming Dutt biopic. It’s a tall order, the actor admits, for more than one reason — it involves bringing back on screen the life of a much-loved actor, whose story hits close to home. Nargis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before it got the better of her.
“I relive my days of cancer every time I see a survivor even today. In the movie, when I will be performing the role, I will be revisiting those days again. I am also nervous about it because her memory is so fresh in people’s mind. Having said that, it’s a great opportunity to be playing her,” she said. It helps that Manisha will be working with Raju Hirani, who she greatly admires, and Ranbir Kapoor, who she believes is one of the finest actors of his generation.
Manisha says that she has done a few look tests already, and the team has narrowed in on a certain look that best resembles Nargis. “We’ve tried the long hair, the short hair. It’s has made me curious about her as a person. I want to know more and I am going to do that by speaking to Priya (Dutt).”
Manisha has admittedly found a new zest to life after a dark phase. “I was as ignorant about my situation as anybody else. I didn’t know at the time, if I was going to live or die. I lived in the constant fear of dying. I kept bugging my doctors asking them how long I had to live. But one fine day, I realised that I will have a sword hanging above my head and that I have to get used to it. Fear will always be there, but I take that as a reminder to constantly be on the right track.”
Among other things that she does to spread awareness about cancer Manisha joined the initiative ‘My hair for cancer’. She believes that initiatives such as these are important especially in Indian society or Nepalese society (where she hails from), because, “In our countries, hair is a measure of a woman’s beauty. That makes hair very important.”
Reiterating the reason for her association, she says, “I always wanted to shave my head, but I didn’t want the reason to be cancer and chemo. It’s a heartbreaking situation when one wakes up one’s hair and is all around the pillow. So I eventually went and shaved my head. Hair loss makes one look sicker than one is, so I know the impact it has on others going through the ordeal.”
So while she continues to be the face of the fight against the illness on one side, Manisha is ready to take on showbiz on the other. “I hope I do justice to the role,” she concludes.
