Manisha B. Koirala (born August 16, 1970) is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil films as well. She is also an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer. Making her acting debut in the Nepali film, Pheri Bhetaula in 1989, Koirala made her Bollywood debut in 1991 with Subhash Ghai's top-grossing drama, Saudagar. She went on to collaborate with some of the most prominent Indian filmmakers of her times, and throughout the 1990s, was one of the best-known actresses in India, mostly recognised for her critically acclaimed performances.
Noted for her portrayals of strong dramatic characters, Koirala mostly ventured into serious and realistic cinema. Although box office collections of her films have varied considerably, critics have noted that her niche as an actor remains unharmed irrespective of box office collections.
In 2008, she made her comeback to films, with her first leading role since Mumbai Express (2005), in Tulsi, opposite Irrfan Khan. Although pre-release her comeback was described by the media as "shocking", and the film suffered from poor marketing, her performance as Tulsi, a young homemaker diagnosed with blood cancer, was well received. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM wrote, "Manisha Koirala sinks her teeth in this role and delivers a fine performance." She next starred in Sirf (2008), a movie about four couples from different strata of life, which portrays the lifestyle of people in metro. The film, which was released without any notice or publicity, was a major critical failure and faced a low box-office opening, with most shows being cancelled out due to its poor critical response. Her first Bengali film Khela directed by Rituparno Ghosh also released the same year along with long delayed Hindi film Mehbooba, both films released on the same day.
In December 2009, she served as the Jury member in the fifth edition of Dubai International Film Festival.
In 2010, she appeared in Partho Ghosh's, Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De?. Her forthcoming releases include Deepti Naval's directorial debut titled, Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Char Aane Ki Baarish and Rohit Kaushik's Chehere.
