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Recently, Manisha Koirala was at Zee Jaipur Literature Festival to promote her new book Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life. She talked about how cancer changed her as a person.
Talking to PTI, she said, “I took my life for granted. I neglected my health, that is why cancer came to me as a teacher, it came to me as a lesson. I value my life more now, love my family, value my health because I realized if one is not healthy, one cannot enjoy any aspect of living.”
Speaking at a session in the festival, Manisha talked about her book and said “When I was sick, I was searching for positive stories. I could not get many stories, except the success story of (actor) Lisa Ray and (cricketer) Yuvraj Singh, who came out fighting successfully with cancer. So I decided that when I recover, I will share my stories with people. I also believe that sharing helps lower the burden from your head and heart. Hence, I wrote the book.”
The actress also recollected the time she was diagnosed with cancer, admitting that she was utterly shocked to find out about the disease and it was the loneliest night.
She said, “The thought of death is the first thing that comes to mind when a person is diagnosed with cancer. I was utterly shocked when I came to know about the disease. It was the loneliest night. Even a familiar journey from Kathmandu to Mumbai which I had taken umpteen times felt so different.”
Manisha was born into the prominent Koirala family in Nepal and she made her Bollywood debut with Saudagar in 1991 and went on to act in films like 1942: A Love Story, Akele Hum Akele Tum, Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical, Dil Se, Mann and Lajja. She took a break from her acting career back in 2012 and returned five years later with movie Sanju and Netflix’s Lust Stories.
