Manisha comes out of hibernation, mobbed by fans

Mumbai, March 17 (IANS) Actress Manisha Koirala, who became quite a recluse of late, is making a comeback. And she was mobbed by hundreds of fans while shooting her latest film at a building here.

Manisha, who is acting in director Rajaatesh Nayar's "Sirf - Life Looks Greener On The Other Side," had to travel to a place near Dharavi in northeast Mumbai, better known as the Asia's biggest slum.

The shooting for the movie took place Friday on the rooftop of a 16-storey building, not far from Dharavi. Though she reached the site on time, she could not go up the building for almost two hours.

The people staying in the locality got wind of her visit and hundreds of them gathered near the building before she arrived, a press release said here. The fans not only sought her autograph but also bombarded her with questions about her personal and professional life.

A petrified Manisha could not help but oblige them. The star was helpless as the building had no security guards and there was no crewmember to help her out.

By the time she reached the set, she was so tired that shooting had to be delayed for another half-an-hour to allow Manisha to regain her composure.

The director had chosen to shoot in that building because he wanted a panoramic view of Dharavi and the Mumbai skyline for a scene.

In "Sirf..." Manisha plays actor Kay Kay Menon's wife. The film is about four couples living in a metro and revolves around their trials and tribulations.

Although they belong to different strata of society and have their own problems to deal with, the movie shows how their lives intermingle.

The other three couples are played by Sonali Kulkarni and Ranbir Shorey, Praveen Dabbas and Rituparna Sengupta, and Ankur Khanna and Nauheed Cyrusi.

A Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd. presentation, "Sirf ..." will be released April 4.

Incidentally, two other Manisha starrers - "Mehbooba" and "God Tussi Great Ho" - made about a decade ago, are also expected to see the light of day soon.

Manisha Koirala Pictures