Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala and Shahrukh Khan have been friends since the early days when both of them came to Mumbai to pursue their film careers. In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Manisha opened up about Shah Rukh’s advice to buy a house in Mumbai to feel at home in the city. She also shared her experience of being mesmerized by Rekha’s natural beauty when she saw her without makeup for the first time.
In an exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Manisha Koirala recalls her relationship with Shahrukh Khan and Rekha. Talking about Shahrukh, he said, “Shahrukh has been my friend since his early days. I remember going to his Mount Mary apartment and there used to be mats on his flat. We all used to sit on the mat and we were all friends and were very young.”
Watch the full interview below!
She further added, “Although I had come to him in Bombay a year or two ago, we bonded quite well. It was he who advised me to buy a house in Bombay. He said, ‘You know Manisha, we both have come from outside Bombay and we need a place to live in Bombay. A sense of belonging will come from us. (You will feel like home).”
The Heeramandi actress further said, “The first person was the one who advised me that if you vacate the house, you will get stuck here. We will have our own style in it.”
Manisha also talked about her friendship with Rekha, remembering how their relationship grew with time and said, “My friendship with Rekha ji came later. I was not that open with him. Later when I opened up and I saw her other form, when she also opened up, I said ‘Oh my God!’
She shared, “There’s a lot of intelligence out there, a lot of women, a lot of girls out there. That woman has art, intelligence, intelligence, compassion, beauty, everything. He is an enigma, he is a symbol, something that is unmatched. Her talent, her beauty, everything is unmatched. But our friendship and affection grew a lot later.”
Manisha Koirala also shared that she was mesmerized when she saw Rekha without makeup for the first time and said, “It was a special time when I was seeing her without makeup. She is beautiful. And then we sat and bonded for hours and I was listening to her and I was mesmerized because that wall of hers had fallen down and the true beauty that was her was visible. (The wall she had built with her makeup broke down and I was able to see her true beauty).”
The actress also said, “I did a few shows with him and I kept meeting him. This star was always present, Rekha the big star, was always present. But here I was getting to see another side of him. We loved talking and since then we have been friends.” (We have been friends).
On the work front, Manisha Koirala, who has worked with Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju (2018) with ace director Rajkumar Hirani, also appeared in the OTT project Lust Stories in 2018. He was recently seen in Shehzada (2023) and most recently in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi.
Also read: Exclusive: Manisha Koirala opens up on ‘double standards’ in male-dominated industry and says only heroes will move ahead; ‘Started to rebel…’
