Manisha Koirala is a Nepali actress who has worked predominantly in Hindi cinema, with notable contributions to Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, and Nepali films. Active since the early 1990s, she is regarded as one of the prominent leading actresses of Indian cinema during that decade and is known for her performances in films directed by Mani Ratnam, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and Vidhu Vinod Chopra. She is also recognised for her advocacy work as a UN goodwill ambassador and as a cancer survivor.
| Full name | Manisha Koirala |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 August 1970, Kathmandu, Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepali |
| Family | Koirala family of Nepal |
| Father | Prakash Koirala (politician) |
| Grandfather | Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala (former Prime Minister of Nepal) |
| Profession | Actress, author, activist |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Debut (Nepali) | Pheri Bhetaula (1989) |
| Debut (Hindi) | Saudagar (1991) |
| Notable awards | Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress; Screen Award; Nandi Award |
Manisha Koirala was born on 16 August 1970 in Kathmandu into the politically influential Koirala family of Nepal. Her grandfather, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, served as Prime Minister of Nepal, and her grand-uncles Matrika Prasad Koirala and Girija Prasad Koirala also held the office. Her father, Prakash Koirala, has been associated with Nepali politics, while her mother Sushma Koirala is from Varanasi, India. Manisha spent part of her schooling in India, studying in Varanasi and later in Delhi, where she trained briefly in Bharatanatyam.
She made her acting debut with the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula in 1989. Her Hindi film debut came with Subhash Ghai's multi-starrer Saudagar (1991), opposite Vivek Mussaddi, alongside Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar. The film was a major commercial success and established her in the industry. She followed this with films such as 1942: A Love Story (1994), directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, for which she received critical acclaim.
Through the mid- and late-1990s she appeared in a series of well-received films across languages. Her collaboration with director Mani Ratnam in Bombay (1995) and Dil Se.. (1998) is considered among her most significant work. Other notable films of this period include Agni Sakshi (1996), Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997), Mann (1999), and Kachche Dhaage (1999).
She also worked in regional cinema, including the Tamil film Bombay, the Telugu film Criminal (1995), and the Malayalam film Grahanam.
In the 2000s she appeared in films such as Lajja (2001), Company (2002) directed by Ram Gopal Varma, Escape from Taliban (2003), and Tum Mile (2009). After a hiatus following her cancer treatment, she returned to acting with films including Dear Maya (2017) and Rajkumar Hirani's Sanju (2018), in which she portrayed Nargis Dutt. She subsequently appeared in the web series Lust Stories (2018) and the Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (2024), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
Manisha Koirala married Nepali businessman Samrat Dahal in 2010; the marriage was dissolved in 2012. In November 2012 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She was declared cancer-free following treatment and surgery, and has since spoken publicly about her experience. Her memoir Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life, co-written with Neelam Kumar, was published in 2018 by Penguin Random House India.
She has served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nepal, working on issues related to women's rights and the prevention of human trafficking. She has also been involved in cancer awareness campaigns and disaster relief work, including efforts following the 2015 Nepal earthquake.
Manisha Koirala is regarded as one of the leading Hindi film actresses of the 1990s, a period in which she was praised for combining mainstream commercial appeal with serious dramatic roles. Her work with Mani Ratnam contributed to bringing Tamil cinema's sensibilities to a wider Hindi-speaking audience. Her public account of her cancer treatment and recovery has made her a visible advocate for cancer awareness in South Asia.