1st reaction was 'I've to play Sanjay's mother now': Manisha
Actress Manisha Koirala, while talking about being approached to play Nargis Dutt, said, "My first reaction was, 'What? I have to play Baba's (Sanjay Dutt) mother now?'" Manisha added, "I was always a tomboy on the set when shooting with Baba. I had my reservations as I would end up playing mother's roles. I know how the industry functions."
In March this year, Bollywood fans woke up to the news of Manisha Koirala making her big comeback with Sanjay Dutt biopic. The 46-year-old actor, who took a hiatus from films after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, is all set to bounce back after 5 years. She will essay the role of Sanjay's mother Nargis Dutt in the biopic directed by Rajkumar Hirani. But it's not easy to play Dutt's mother when she has worked with Sanju baba in a handful of films in the 90s. Koirala in an interview to Mid-Day opened up on signing the film and playing Nargis Dutt on screen. She told the daily, "When casting agent Mukesh Chabbra called me for it, my first reaction was, 'What? I have to play Baba's (Sanjay Dutt) mother now?' We have done several films (Yalgaar, 1991; Sanam, 1997; Kartoos, 1999). I was always a tomboy on the set when shooting with Baba. I had my reservations as I would end up playing mother's roles. I know how the industry functions."But she did not want to miss the chance of portraying Nargis Dutt on 70mm. "I pondered over it for a while and then said yes. I thought to myself, when will I get to play Nargis Dutt again. When I told my mother, she was excited about it. She told me about Nargisji and her trademark white sarees. I am looking forward to the film," she added. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani, the film also stars Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vicky Kaushal and Karishma Tanna.