Manisha Koirala On Heeramandi: "Waited 28 Years For Sanjay Leela Bhansali To Call Me"

Manisha Koirala will be seen as Mallikajaan in Heeramandi

Before Sanjay Leela Bhansali became synonymous with grand cinematic spectacles, he crafted Khamoshi: The Musical in 1996, featuring Nana Patekar, Salman Khan, Manisha Koirala, and Seema Biswas. Despite its initial box office setback, Khamoshi garnered appreciation over the years. Now, after two decades, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Manisha Koirala reunited for the Netflix series Heeramandi, where Manisha essays the role of formidable "tawaif", Mallikajaan. At the star-studded trailer launch event held in Delhi on Tuesday, Manisha Koirala shared her excitement about collaborating with Sanjay Leela Bhansali once again.

She said, “I waited 28 years for Sanjay to call me and it's been a pleasure. It's an honour to be working with that genius. A lot of hard work and pyaar mohabbat has gone into making Heermandi. We have made the show with so much love, and we expect you all to love it.”

Manisha Koirala also spoke about being away from films for a while and called it an "enriching experience." She said, "When I was younger and did Saudagar - which was my first film - I was way different from what I am now. With years and the experiences that we have, we evolve. Being away from the industry has helped me look at life differently. As actors, we see ourselves and the world in a different light because the spotlight is always on us, but when you're no longer the centre of attention and living on the periphery, your perspective changes. It has been a great spiritual experience and awareness. Being away from films was an enriching experience for me both as an actor as well as a person."