BENGALURU: If there’s one piece of advice actor Manisha Koirala could give her younger self, it would be that everything would turn out fine. “The whole preparation bit was great, but I never did that in my 20s. I never really put thought into anything I was going to do. So here there is thought, effort and preparation I’m going through which I’m enjoying,” she said on her recent visit to the city, which holds a special place for her having done many film shoots, including her third film, Yalgaar, 25 years ago.
Koirala, who will be seen in Maska and is working on Freedom – both for Netflix, admits that what she didn’t know was that in her late 40s, she would get roles that she would actually be proud of. “Because of experience and hard work, I am enjoying work now. There is no pressure,” says Koirala, who plays the role of a Parsi woman in Maska. At the same time, she points out that there was room for mistakes in the past. “Today, everything is very professional and well-thought of. If we made mistakes previously, they would be overlooked,” says Koirala, who ideally likes to do one or two films a year.
When she started watching Netflix in 2013, she was going through her cancer treatment in the US. With a lot of free time on hand, she used to watch documentaries, short films, Hindi and English films. “I had no idea that it was going to be a big thing in India,” says Koirala, whose first film on an OTT platform is Maska. While she admits that in the larger picture, there is no difference, it’s telling a story, and being part of the story, a lot in terms of work ethics and environment has changed. “The OTT platforms are giving those people a chance who probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make films. Earlier, there were certain things in the box, and certain typecast stuff only. Today, it’s out of the box, everybody gets to watch whatever they like,” she says.
Having recently finished an American- Indian film, Koirala says she is not comfortable with auditions, although in American films, everybody does one. “The three younger persons were taking 10-20 auditioning takes per day while shooting with me. For me, one takes me days,” says Koirala, adding that she gives her 200 per cent when she works and then disconnects. “People expect you to be available all the time, which I may not be able to do,” she says. There have been many ups and downs but now, more than ever before, Koirala is grateful that life is good, she’s healthy, and that she is able to continue what she loves doing the most – acting.