Manisha Koirala

Manisha Koirala (pronounced [mʌnisa koirala]; born 16 August 1970) is a Nepalese actress who works in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi. Born to the politically prominent Koirala family, she is the daughter of Prakash Koirala and the granddaughter of Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala. One of the most popular and highest-paid actresses of her time, she is the recipient of several accolades, including three Filmfare Awards, one Filmfare Awards South and one Filmfare OTT Awards . In 2001, the Government of Nepal awarded her with the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu.

Koirala made her acting debut with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989), and later debuted in Indian cinema with the Hindi drama Saudagar (1991). Following a brief setback, she established herself with commercial successes in both Bollywood and Kollywood films, including Bombay (1995), Agni Sakshi (1996), Indian (1996), Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), Kachche Dhaage (1999), Mudhalvan (1999) and Company (2002). She also received critical recognition for playing a naive girl in 1942: A Love Story (1994), an ambitious wife in Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995), the daughter of deaf-mute parents in Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), a terrorist in Dil Se.. (1998) and a mistreated woman in Lajja (2001).

Over the course of the next decade, she garnered praise for her performances in several unconventional and art-house films, such as the survival drama Escape From Taliban (2003), the Malayalam psychological drama Elektra (2010), and the anthology film I Am (2010). In 2012, Koirala took a break from acting after being diagnosed with last stage ovarian cancer and underwent an year-long treatment, making a successful recovery by mid-2014. She returned with the coming-of-age drama Dear Maya (2017), followed by her portrayal of actress Nargis in Sanju (2018). The same year Koirala featured in the Netflix production Lust Stories. She has since starred in the period drama series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024).

In addition to acting in films, Koirala was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1999 for India and 2015 for Nepal, and was involved in the relief works after the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. She also contributed as an author to the novel Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life; which is an account of her struggle with ovarian cancer.

Koirala is frequently cited as one of the most beautiful actresses of her times.

Manisha Koirala is a Hindu. She was born on 16 August 1970 into the politically prominent Koirala family, in Biratnagar, Nepal. Her father, Prakash Koirala, is a politician, former Cabinet minister and a former member of Nepal’s House of Representatives, while her mother, Sushma Koirala, is a homemaker. Koirala has one brother, Siddharth Koirala, who is a current Bollywood actor. Her grandfather, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, was the prime minister of Nepal during the late 1950s to the early 1960s, as were two of her great-uncles, Girija Prasad Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala.

Koirala spent her early life in India. She stayed in Varanasi at her maternal grandmother's home for some years and later in Delhi and Mumbai. While at home in Varanasi, she attended the Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya until Class X. Aspiring to become a doctor, she moved to Delhi and studied at the Army Public School (APS) of the Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi campus. In an interview, she said that living on her own in Delhi helped her become "strong and independent."^{[citation needed]} Determined to pursue a career in acting, Koirala later moved to Mumbai for film roles.

During a break after her class X board exams, Koirala acted in the 1989 Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula as an experiment. She also took on a few modeling assignments during her time in Delhi, but later shifted her focus toward acting. One of these was for a wool company.