'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' was offered to me: Manisha Koirala

Despite the recent hardships in her personal life, Manisha Koirala is looking lovely. The actress who ruled the box office in the past recently went through a divorce. Shrugging aside the many ups and downs in her life, she instead chooses to focus on her Bollywood journey, which she describes as "interesting, unpredictable, joyous and full of lessons". In a candid chat, the reclusive 42-year-old talks about her upcoming film with RGV, life and the future.

What change do you see in Ramu as a director today?
During the shooting of Company the last film we worked together in we barely got time to interact. This time around, although the film was shot in a relatively shorter period, we got to spend much more time together and I observed that he's still the same, focused guy. I adore him and his work.

Would you call this your comeback film?
Not really. I did Onir's offbeat I Am last year, so calling this my comeback film would be incorrect.

Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, Raveena Tandon too are making their big screen comeback?
I think they are all wonderful actresses. I love Sridevi's work and having seen the trailer of her upcoming film, I must say she's looking beautiful. I'm looking forward to her film.

Why did you move away from mainstream Hindi cinema?
I started losing interest. Some people are content with doing whatever they're doing, all their life. I'm a wanderer. I like to explore and see if there is something else for me. That's why I took a break and went to New York University to complete a filmmaking course, though I'm not putting it to any use right now (laughs).

So you will turn director soon?
I've been offered a couple of films. Maybe in a month's time, I'll take a call on that.

With over two decades in Bollywood, do you harbour regrets?
It's important to make your own mistakes rather than follow others' instructions, especially in this industry. In terms of my acting career, I do have regrets. There were plenty of films that I should have done but I didn't. For instance, Dil Toh Pagal Hai was offered to me besides other such good films with good directors. Out of my sheer stupidity, I chose not to be a part of them.

Who is your favourite among young actors?
Ranbir Kapoor comes naturally to my mind as he has shown such range at a young age. I also liked Ayushmann Khurrana in Vicky Donor.

And actresses?
Vidya Balan is brilliant and I think Parineeti Chopra is promising too.