Manisha Koirala was born on August 16, 1970 in Kathmandu, Nepal. This acclaimed Bollywood actress, is known for her intricate Nepali beauty. She is also an UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Other than being an actor, she is also a skillful Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer.

Manisha Koirala made her acting debut in Nepali movie Pheri Bhetaula (1989). In Bollywood, Koirala made her acting debut with Subhash Ghai`s top ranking drama Saudagar (1991). She went on to work together with some of the outstanding Indian film directors of her times and throughout the 1990s. She kept her name upright in the film industry throughout her career and was one of the best-known actresses in India, mostly familiar for her critically acclaimed performances.

Manisha Koirala principally experimented with serious and realistic cinema and had a strong willingness to portray dramatic characters. Though some of her films have not done well at the box office, her niche as an actor remains intact irrespective of box office collections.

Manisha Koirala was born into the politically well-known Hindu Koirala family. She was the granddaughter of Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala, who was the Prime Minister of Nepal during the late 50s-early 60s, as well as two of her great grand uncles, namely the Girija Prasad Koirala and MP Koirala. Manisha studied at Vasant Kanya Mahavidhyalaya (VKM) Varanasi and Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi. She used to stay with her grandmother in Varanasi during her studies. She aimed her career to be in the medical field, but a modeling opportunity opened her career path into Bollywood.

Her brother Siddharth Koirala is also an actor, and worked with her once in the film Anwar. She returned from New York in 2004, after receiving a diploma in filmmaking. She took the membership in an independent documentary filmmaker`s society.

Her first film was Pheri Bhetaula, a Nepali movie that was released in early 1989. Her first Hindi movie was Subhash Ghai`s Saudagar in 1991 proved to be a good beginning, since it was the biggest hit of the year. She starred in many more films during 1992-1993, but Vidhu Vinod Chopra`s love saga 1942: A Love Story (1994) and Mani Ratnam`s Tamil drama Bombay (1995) turned out her career to be at the climax.

Her performance in `Bombay` was particularly appreciated and she was awarded the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. She was also seen in many more commercial films, like Mansoor Khan`s romantic musical Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) that earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Koirala had a predominantly successful year in 1996. She received positive reviews for films like Agni Sakshi, Khamoshi: The Musical and others.

Manisha Koirala played the leading role alongside Kajol and Bobby Deol in the thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth. The film became one of the biggest hits of 1997. She starred in Mani Ratnam`s award-winning film Dil Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan. She worked in several critically and commercially successful projects, one of them being Kachche Dhaage (1999). In 2001, she played the leading role in Rajkumar Santoshi`s drama Lajja along with Rekha, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff. She also starred in the drama Grahan, and her depiction of a rape victim, pleading for justice was much valued as well.

After several years of success, Koirala left the mainstream cinema in 2003. She was seen in several low budget films. She started working in strong woman-oriented films in 2003, including Escape From Taliban and won her the BFJA Best Actress Award. She then played the lead role in the movie Market where she was a prostitute.

After receiving a diploma in filmmaking, she produced the small-budget comedy Paisa Vasool (2004), where she starred along with Sushmita Sen. Since then, she has played supporting roles in films like Tum - A Dangerous Obsession (2005), and the horror film Anjaane - The Unknown (2006). In 2008, she made her comeback to films, with her first leading role since Mumbai Express, in Tulsi, opposite Irrfan Khan. She has worked with Rituparno Ghosh in film Khela, and is currently shooting for Deepa Mehta`s patriotic foreign film Exclusion.

Manisha Koirala as a Social Worker
Manisha Koirala was appointed as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in September 1999. Since the, she is actively involved in social work, particularly working with organizations to promote women`s rights, prevention of violence against women, and also to avoid the human trafficking of Nepali girls for prostitution.

Manisha won several awards in her film career; some of them are as follows -