Sanju actor Manisha Koirala: I never thought I could look so much like Nargis ji

Written by Komal RJ Panchal | Mumbai | Updated: June 28, 2018 4:30:08 pm Manisha Koirala will be seen playing Nargis Dutt in Rajkumar Hiranis Sanju. Related News

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After being lauded for her performance in Netflix anthology Lust Stories, Manisha Koirala will be seen playing Nargis Dutt in Rajkumar Hiranis Sanju. In this interview with indianexpress.com, the actor opens up about how she prepared herself for the changes that followed her comeback and her role in Sanju.

On playing Nargis Dutt in Sanju

“I was very nervous. I didnt know if Id be able to play this role or not, given her health history and mine. But then Raju (director Rajkumar Hirani) sir told me that he doesnt want to dwell too much into that phase of Nargis jis life. When I came to know the entire character sketch, I was very keen and excited to do it. I am glad I did it,” said Manisha Koirala.

After watching the trailer of Sanju, fans were impressed by Manishas resemblance to late actor Nargis Dutt. The actor gives all the credit to Hirani as he was the one who researched and made sure that the look and feel of the character was right. She said, “I never thought I could look so much like Nargis ji. However, when we started working on the character and when I saw her pictures so closely, I realised I could play her role and that felt very good. When you have a good director, everything is taken care of. Raju sir did thorough research and he told me about the character graph. So, it became easy and I give all the credit to him.”

On the changes in Bollywood

Manisha Koirala made a comeback in 2017 with Maya. She was also seen in Netflix anthology Lust Stories. On the kind of films she is choosing and the changes in the industry, the actor said, “Choosing good directors is the first step. Since I love my work, I have to also keep a tab on what todays trends are like. I dont want to be stuck in my zone. What I did when I was 20, I cant repeat it now. I have to see what the younger generation is doing. What kind of acting, cinema and quality of narrative they are consuming. With changing times, you have to change yourself. Everything and everyone is evolving. Nothing gets stuck in time. Only we do! So you have to shake yourself, be constantly agile and up your game in the market. A lot of things have changed from before to now and I am still adjusting. I have not yet 100% adjusted, but its a work in progress.”

About the kind of changes that she is still adjusting to, she said, “The industry has become very professional. It is a good change. This generation is more focused and disciplined. There is high competition and hence everybody is striving to do their best. Everybody is looking so good. They are at the gym and working out so much. There is a lot of hard work going on everywhere, which doesnt allow you to slow down. In our times, it was more relaxed. People worked at their own pace. People were more forgiving. But today, there is no space for a bad film or a bad performance. But I dont miss what has passed, I am enjoying the present, I am not one of those people who live in the past.”

Also Read | Sanju: Whos playing who in the Sanjay Dutt biopic

On working with Dibakar Banerjee in Lust Stories for Netflix

In Lust Stories, Manish plays Reena, a middle-aged woman clandestinely sleeping with her husbands best friend. On portraying this character, the actor said, “This is the good thing about how things have changed today. Women have started speaking their minds and men have graciously started accepting that. I love this. If I had done the same kind of movie before, I would be condemned. But today I am appreciated. So, I feel it has to do with this generations women standing up for themselves.”

Also Read | Sanju: Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatts mother Soni Razdan and others watch Ranbir Kapoor starrer

On her experience of working with director Dibakar Banerjee, she said, “Dibakar is a new age intellectual director. He is well-versed with cinema and knows his medium too well. So, we did a lot of workshops before shooting the film. He would be confident enough to come on sets without a bound script. He clearly told me that this was a movie where he could experiment as it didnt have huge budget issues. So, we had lot of conversations and debates. We were free to explore what we wanted to achieve. It is a good time for me, I am enjoying every bit of what I am doing.”

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