‘I would have been condemned if I did Lust Stories 5 years back’: Manisha Koirala

Manisha Koirala’s short from Lust Stories has received accolades from the audience and critics alike. Complex, nuanced and extremely powerful, Manisha’s character Reena is a woman in control. The film that was made only for a digital release, has got everyone talking. We caught up with the actress, post the movie and discussed what went behind her role. The Bollywood diva explains how she’s getting on with the times and how the industry has changed in the last few years. Excerpts:

Everyone’s lauding your comeback with the short in Lust Stories. What were your thoughts behind picking this film?

Choosing to work with good directors is the first step. I love my work, but I also need to know what today’s trends are. I can’t be stuck in what I was doing when I was 20. It won’t fit now. I have to see what kind of films the younger generation is doing — the quality of narrative and cinema. With changing times, you have to change yourself a little bit because everything is evolving and you have to be constantly agile. You have to up yourself with what is contemporary and I’m doing all of that. There’s been a huge change from what things were before to what things are now. I’m still adjusting and it’s work in progress.

Do you agree that people are a lot more professional today?

Abhi bahut professional hai and this is a great change. The main quality of this era is that everyone’s focused, disciplined and there’s high competition. Everyone’s striving to do their best; whether it’s films, fitness or fashion. Today, you have to put in so much more hard work. Back then, it was more relaxed, and people were more forgiving. Tab yeh tha ki chalo do filmein nahin chali, teesri achhi kar lenge. You can’t afford to do that today.

Do you miss anything from the ’90s?

I don’t miss anything, actually. I’m very much in the present and not someone who lives in the past.

The anthology talks about women being in control. Do you think the industry’s perception and treatment towards women have undergone a massive change?

Absolutely, this is the best thing in today’s times, that women have started speaking their mind, asserting their feelings and opinions and men have graciously accepted that. They, too, are appreciative. It’s a great aspect of today’s times. If I did Lust Stories five years back, I would have been condemned. But now, it’s celebrated and it’s got to do with the younger generation women standing up for themselves and people becoming more accepting of different kind of subjects.

How much of the scenes were rehearsed? Or was it entirely spontaneous?

Dibakar (Banerjee) is a new-age intellectual director who’s well-versed with cinema and hence knows his medium too well. He was confident enough to come on the sets and explore the story, without having a bound script. He had told me that this is a film where we can experiment because it doesn’t come with a huge budget so you don’t have to be responsible for the film money-wise. It’s a low-budget experimental film where we can play with the style and narrative. We had conversations and a lot of debates where I didn’t agree with Reena’s character in certain places. He was open to a lot of improvisations. We did our workshops and rehearsals but on the set, there would be situations where we would change things. I love people who have guts to improvise because then, you are not bound artistically and you can explore.