Manisha Koirala claims she was sidelined after speaking out on the age discrimination female artists face; ‘Never heard a troll say this to a man…’

Manisha Koirala, the powerhouse of Indian cinema, has been enthralling audiences for over three decades, even while bravely fighting cancer. Recently, he won praise for his portrayal of Mallijajan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi. In a candid interview, Manisha claimed to be sidelined because of her age and also said that she has “never heard a troll calling a male person that he is old.”

In a recent interview with Free Press Journal, Manisha Koirala discussed the prevalence of ageism faced by women, especially in the entertainment industry. She pointed out how women are often criticized for aging, unlike their male counterparts who rarely face such scrutiny.

Koirala shared that she was excluded from many roundtable discussions due to her age, while male actors of similar or older age continued to be included. She emphasized that this double standard highlights the disproportionate impact of ageism on women in Bollywood.

The Heeramandi actress addressed the misconceptions about actresses of the 50s. She highlighted the need to break stereotypes and emphasized that women can grow professionally and personally at any age.

He said, “Many people think that ‘it has got intelligence, what kind of work can it do?’ Or ‘Let’s just give her a mother role or a sister role.’ But women can do great roles.” Badass, full of life and fire. Many actresses have done this before me and I also want to do the same. I still have the hunger to do more, age is just a number. 50 is just a number and it won’t stop me.

The Dil Se actress also discussed the challenges faced by women in Bollywood and emphasized that it is the toughest hurdle to overcome in the industry. He highlighted the importance of incorporating personal struggles, heartbreaks and life experiences into one’s art to improve performance.

Manisha said that every profession involves obstacles and frustrations which, if used effectively, can make individuals better artists and human beings. Taking inspiration from his own journey, he encouraged aspiring actors to embrace challenges as valuable learning experiences to hone their craft and resilience.