Fear of losing made me appreciate life: Manisha Koirala

Agencies
June 21, 2018

Mumbai, Jun 21: Manisha Koirala has found poetry in the everyday mundaneness of the world - the sunrise, the grass, the shining stars - and feels more appreciative of life today with every breath she takes.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012 which she successfully overcame.

Though difficult, Manisha says the phase, where the fear of losing everything loomed largely, left her completely changed.

"When I was on the brink of losing it all - with my health crisis - that made me appreciate life. For me, every day is a blessing. I look at things which I ignored earlier. I enjoy the sunrise, being barefoot on the grass, the stars in the sky, the breeze on your face or the ruffle of the leaves. I feel blessed to be alive," Manisha said.

The actor says she is "at a relaxed and exciting space" in her career and life, with her heart being more "compassionate, understanding and focused".

While she feels grateful and blessed to still get good work, she is also thrilled to get feedback on her performances.

"When you get good reviews for your work, it's reassuring. You wonder 'even after 80 plus movies?' and I say yes. It's always nice to hear good feedback," she said.

The 47-year-old actor has Sanjay Dutt biopic up for release and was recently seen in the Netflix anthology "Lust Stories".

In "Sanju", Manisha will be seen playing Dutt's mother, Nargis.

The actor says she had to undergo several "look tests" and credits director Rajkumar Hirani for doing "excellent" groundwork.

"I had a very good director and the team was so good, half of my battle was won there. When you work with good directors, it's easier because they've already done the groundwork, research. We did a lot of look tests, watched documentaries, read books. I tried to bring out what we could."

Manisha is also thrilled that her short film with Dibakar Banerjee in "Lust Stories" has won people over.

The actor says she was not sure initially about the project.

"I had seen Dibakar's previous works and I loved his short in 'Bombay Talkies'. I knew he would make a sensible film. Personally speaking, I wanted to do it differently. But he had a vision. While rehearsing I understood where he was going. I didn't agree somewhere with him but then, in the end, it all turned out very well."

"Sanju" features Ranbir Kapoor in the lead and also stars Paresh Rawal, Sonam Kapoor, Dia Mirza and Anushka Sharma.

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News Network
May 24,2020

Los Angeles, May 24: Hollywood star Salma Hayek says her daughter Valentina Pinault is a talented 12 year old who wants to be a director and star as a lead in a film one day.

The Oscar-nominated actor shares Valentina with husband, French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault.

Hayek said she has confidence in her daughter's abilities and believes she has a long way to go.

"She has so many talents. She draws, she wants to shoot movies - both as a director and as the lead - and she writes great pieces. Sometimes when I read her work, I have an urge to produce these stories.

"But she tells me that she will do it by herself when she's older. I don't know what's coming next for her but it seems that she has a lot of ways to go," the actor told HELLO! magazine.

Hayek, 53, added she is concerned about Valentina who has always lived a sheltered life.

"Valentina has always done what she wanted, I've never made her do anything and this means she hasn't yet learned how to oppose pressure, how to overcome obstacles.

"I know by experience that only the overcoming of some difficulties can lead you in the right direction," she said.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Mumbai, Jun 10: Bollywood actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Varun Sharma's former manager Disha Salian reportedly committed suicide by jumping off the 14th floor of her apartment in Malad on June 8 night.

Varun Sharma mourned the demise on Instagram, sharing a photo with his former manager and friend.

"Am at a loss of words. Speechless. Numb. It all looks unreal. So many memories. Such a lovely person and a dear friend. You always wore that smile everyday, and with such kindness you dealt with everything that came your way. You will be deeply missed. Prayers and Strength to the Family. I still can't believe Disha you're gone. Gone too Soon," wrote Varun.

The young celebrity manager was reportedly with her fiance when she took the drastic step on June 8 night. She was declared dead on being rushed to a hospital in Borivali.

The police have started an investigation. As per reports, they have recorded the statement of the deceased's parents. Her fiance might also be asked for a statement.

Apart from Sushant Singh Rajput and Varun Sharma, Disha has managed comedian Bharti Singh in the past.

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News Network
February 12,2020

London, Feb 12: Oscar-winning British director Steve McQueen is returning to his art roots with a series of short films at London's Tate Modern art gallery, offering a sensory exploration of black identity.

McQueen, who became the first black director to win the best picture Academy Award in 2014 for "12 Years a Slave", is now based between London and Amsterdam and is focused on championing diversity in the film industry.

Visitors to his new exhibition will be greeted by "Static", a film of New York's Statue of Liberty, scrutinising the iconic symbol from every possible angle at very close range against a deafening backdrop of the helicopter from where the footage was filmed.

"What interests Steve is our view of the world, how humans are trying to represent Liberty," said Fiontan Moran, assistant curator of the exhibition.

"7th Nov, 2001" features a still shot of a body while McQueen's cousin Marcus tells of how he accidentally killed his brother, a particularly traumatic experience for the artist.

"Western Deep" is another visceral work, giving a sense through sights and sounds in an interactive installation of the experiences of miners in South Africa, following them to the bottom of the mine.

"Ashes", meanwhile, is a tribute to a young fisherman from Grenada, the island where McQueen's family originated.

The images of beauty and sweetness filmed from his boat are tragically reversed on the other side of the projection screen, which shows a grave commissioned by McQueen for the eponymous young fisherman, who was killed by drug traffickers.

African-American singer, actor and civil rights activist Paul Robeson (1898-1976) is honoured in "End Credits".

The film shows censored FBI documents detailing the agency's surveillance of Robeson, read by a voice-over artist, for five hours.

"He is... testing the limits of how people can be documented in an era of mass surveillance," said Moran.

In a similarly militant vein, the exhibition features the sculpture "Weight", which was first shown in the prison cell where the writer and playwright Oscar Wilde was imprisoned.

It depicts a golden mosquito net draped over a metal prison bed frame, addressing the theme of confinement and the power of the imagination to break free.

The show runs alongside an exhibition of McQueen's giant portraits of London school classes, many of which appeared on the streets of London last year.

"I remember my first school trip to Tate when I was an impressionable eight-year-old, which was really the moment I gained an understanding that anything is possible," said McQueen, adding it was "where in some ways my journey as an artist first began".

He recently told the Financial Times newspaper the difference between his art films and his feature films was that the former were poetry, the latter like a novel.

"Poetry is condensed, precise, fragmented," he said. "The novel is the yarn".

The exhibition opens on February 13 and runs until May 11.

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