Actress Manisha Koirala revealed that she was almost fired from the film that brought her fame. In an interview with ANI, she said that working on 1942: A Love Story was a wonderful experience but revealed that director Vidhu Vinod Chopra did not think she was capable of the role, during her first screen test.
“I had never done something like this. At that time, this project was massive. And I got scolded during my first screen test. Vinod had told me 'You don't know how to act'. So, I worked very hard and requested him to give me one more chance. He did. I got it with a lot of hard work. And I had understood that during this entire thing, I could not slack. I have to figure it out and I have to do my best.”
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Manisha also revealed that she was under pressure, as both the lead characters, played by Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff, were in love with her in the film. “It shouldn't feel like I am lying as a director. The audience shouldn't feel cheated,” she recalled Chopra telling her.
The actress admitted that she was quite lost when she first entered the industry, but Chopra was there to offer guidance. “Vinod used to keep giving me feedback. It was a lot of pressure. But somehow I got the gist, somehow I understood that this is serious business. I had no idea. I was too young and I was too naive. I was not from the film background, so I did not know much about taking coaching or whom to ask for advice. I knew nothing. But somehow I navigated and figured it out.”
Manisha is a Nepal-born actress, who predominantly works in Hindi films. She has appeared in films like Akele Hum Akele Tum, Dil Se.., Lajja, Khamoshi: The Musical and many more.
She took a career break after her ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2012 and returned five years later with Dear Maya.
She was recently seen in the 2024 period drama series, Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.