Riding high on all the praise coming her way for Lust Stories, Manisha Koirala spoke to t2 about playing Nargis Dutt in Sanju and the new leading ladies who have impressed her. 

You’ve known Sanjay Dutt for years. How did you react when you first heard that he’s going to tell his life story to the whole world?

I thought he was very brave. Even the people with the most normal lives would be shy about telling strangers details about their lives. That’s exactly what he has done with Sanju. Also, I am very happy to see him in a good place. 

I believe you were hesitant to work in this film...

I was. Both Nargisji and I have had a similar health history. When Raju Sir (director Rajkumar Hirani) called me about this role, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to relive that phase. This film starts with her diagnosis, so I thought it would be an integral part of the character. When I spoke with Raju Sir, he assured me that the film doesn’t revolve around her illness. Once I read the script, I immediately signed on. 

How did you prepare to play Nargis Dutt?

I had a very good director and team that guided me through this film. They had already done a lot of research, so my job became much easier. We did a lot of look tests and I watched her films. But again, it’s important to remember that the Nargisji that you’ll see in Sanju is not Nargis the star but Nargis the mother. 

Do you remember the first time you met Sanjay Dutt? 

I was a huge fan of Baba (Sanjay Dutt) when I was growing up. I even had his poster on my cupboard. I had to hide it because we weren’t really allowed to have film magazines or photos of actors in my house. We met when I was signed on for Yalgaar. We had a good laugh when I told him about the poster. After Yalgaar, we did quite a few films together and I have always been very fond of him. I am working once again with him in the remake of Prasthaanam.  

You have also worked with Rishi Kapoor. Is Ranbir anything like his father on the set?

Not at all. I think they are very different actors. Ranbir is very hard-working. He would reach the set at 2am or 3am and sit for six hours of make-up and then start shooting. He works really hard but you don’t see that on screen. What I love about Ranbir is how effortless he is on screen. 

Your short film in Lust Stories has received a lot of praise. Congratulations! 

Thank you. That again was a role I was hesitant to do. In my time, mainstream filmmakers weren’t making films like this. When Dibakar (Banerjee) called me about this, I was in Nepal. He narrated the story during our chat on Skype. I wasn’t really convinced but I really like his past work, so I agreed to meet him when I came back to Mumbai. It took me a while to come around but I am so glad that I did Lust Stories.

Are you enjoying this new phase of your career?

The industry has changed so much since the time I started. During my time, mainstream actors only made formula films. There was no crossing over to what we called art films. But today, I can do both Lust Stories and a big commercial film like Sanju. All this has happened because the audience is a lot more accepting of different kind of stories. I think it’s a great time to be an actor. 

Are there younger actors who have impressed you?

All of them are so good. All of them are so polished from the first film they do. We spent the first few years finding our feet but the actors today come completely prepared. Girls like Anushka (Sharma), Deepika (Padukone), Alia (Bhatt) and Kangana (Ranaut) have really impressed me. 

You are writing a book on your battle with cancer. When will it be out?

I am writing a book but I don’t want to talk too much about it. All I can say for now is that I had no idea how hard it is to write! I have new respect for writers.