Manisha Koirala was a beloved star of South Indian cinema but slowly faded away. She has now made a rare and revealing statement about the abrupt end of her career in the South.
In a recent interview, Manisha opened up about how Baba was the last big South Indian film she did. “There was a lot of hype, but when Baba flopped, the offers stopped coming,” she said, her disappointment evident.
She didn’t name names, but the implication was clear: the film’s failure had a domino effect on her career, especially in Tamil cinema.
Baba was a spiritual-action film written, produced, and headlined by Rajinikanth himself. Despite massive expectations, it bombed at the box office and faced heavy trolling.
Manisha, who played the female lead, had already worked in Tamil blockbusters like Bombay, Indian, Mudhalvan, and Aalavandhan — so Baba’s crash came as an unexpected blow.
Her remarks strongly suggest that Baba was the turning point — and not in a good way. One failed film with the biggest star in the South, and her once-thriving South career simply vanished.
After fading from the spotlight in the early 2000s, Manisha battled alcohol addiction and even survived cancer.
But her statement has reignited an important discussion in the film industry: when a male-led project flops, why do the consequences often fall hardest on the female lead?
Is it fair that a single misfire — especially one driven by a male superstar — can derail a woman’s career entirely?
To be clear, Manisha never said, “Rajinikanth ruined my career.” But then again, she didn’t have to. The dots are there. And audiences are connecting them.
