Heeramandi star Manisha Koirala recalls feeling lonely during her battle with cancer; says, ‘Nobody was there’

Manisha Koirala is winning hearts for her portrayal of Mallikajaan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi. As the actress basks in the success of the series, she also recalls going through a tough time when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. In an interview, Manisha Koirala remembers how only her immediate family was by her side and her close friends and extended family abandoned her during cancer. She also talks about not embracing motherhood due to the deadly disease.

Manisha Koirala recalls being lonely during cancer

The actress in her latest interview with NDTV, recalled about the tough phase that she went through and mentioned being abandoned by her friends and family. “It’s been a journey. It has also been a learning experience. I really believed that I had multiple friends. I thought partying together, travelling together, having fun together, people will sit with me in my pain. That was not so. People are not capable of sitting with anybody’s pain, let alone their own pain. We always try to find excuses to not feel pain. We want to escape pain. That’s human nature. I found myself very lonely, and I realised that only my immediate family was around me”, says Sanju actress.

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Manisha said that only her immediate family stood by her, and added, “I also have a huge Koirala khandaan. Nobody was there. I have a big family, and everybody is affluent, they can all afford it. But it was my parents, it was my brother, it was my brother’s wife. And that is it. And I realised that when everybody leaves me, these are the people who will be with me. My priority is my immediate family, no matter what. They come first in my life, everybody else later.”

Manisha on embracing motherhood

Sharing her plans on embracing motherhood, the actress shared, “It was tough getting ovarian cancer and not being able to be a mother. But I made peace with that. And I said, Jo gaya so gaya (what’s gone is in the past), and let me do my best with what I have. I thought a lot about adoption. I realised I get stressed out very quickly, and I get anxiety very quickly. So after a lot of debate, I made peace with that. That I’d rather be a godmother. So, I must make do with what I have. What I have is ageing parents, whom I love. I’m the apple of their eye, I’m the centre of their universe, and I’m going to cherish that. Infact, I fly back to Kathmandu (Nepal, hometown) more often now and spend time with them. And I love that”.

Manisha Koirala on motherhood

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Talking about Heeramandi, the 8-episode series directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali released on 1^st May on Netflix. It also features Aditi Rao Hydari, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Richa Chadha, Sharmin Segal, and Sonakshi Sinha.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Manisha Koirala recalls comedy film with Salman Khan, Govinda & Jackie Shroff being shelved, says, “Banti toh bahut mazedaar banti”