Actress Manisha Koirala’s creative partnership with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali began even before she made her directorial debut. The two first worked together when she appeared in the lead role opposite Anil Kapoor in 1942: A Love Story, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and co-written by Bhansali. Soon after, when Bhansali made his directorial debut with Khamoshi: The Musical, it was Manisha whom he chose as the female lead to star opposite Salman Khan. After a gap of 28 years, the duo have reunited for the director’s first streaming series, period drama Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar.
Recently, Manisha took a trip downwards memory lane and reflected on how Bhansali has malformed over the years. “A lot has changed around him and for him, but at the same time, he has remained the same. He is the same creative person who is eager to achieve excellence in his field. He is still the same simple soul. No matter how lavish and grand a set he creates, he still goes back to his simple 2-3 bedroom house in Versova where he lives. He still wears khadi kurta and pajama. He remains the same even when he creates the most lavish sets, exquisite jewelery and costumes. I admire that quality of his. He loves cinema and thrives in it. He’s still the same person I met during the Khamoshi,” she recalled during a Zoom conversation.
