Today's generation may not really be aware of the talent called Manisha Koirala that had once made the entire industry
stand up and notice her.
The gorgeous woman who is on the verge of getting married was once a pretty girl
who was launched with much fanfare by showman Subhash Ghai in 'Saudagar' (1991).
This terrific kick start
was followed by a spree of indifferent films that Manisha did. Except for 'Yalgaar', there was nothing much to show for
Manisha who saw a dip in her career despite working with Rishi Kapoor (Anmol), Ajay Devgn (Dhanwan) and Jackie
Shroff (Milan).
However, a terrific run followed soon after with Manisha Koirala hitting back in a big way with three notable performance
oriented roles in successive years - '1942 - A Love Story' (1994), 'Bombay' (1995) and 'Khamoshi - The Musical'
(2006).
While each of these three films directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela
Bhansali are much talked about till date, what surprisingly fails to find mention in the same breath is a film called
'Agnisakshi' (1996) which was not just critically but also commercially acclaimed.
"No wonder, it made sense for both Manisha and director of 'Agnisakshi' - Partho Ghosh - to come together with 'Ek
Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De?', comments a trade observer, "The film was pronto launched in early 2008 though not
with much fanfare way back. Rachna Sunil Singh and Agastyaa Singh were the producers for whom this was their first
film making assignment."
To ensure that the film reaches out to current generation as well, the makers also roped in ex-Miss India Nikita Anand
in an important role.
To give the film a wider appeal in the sub continent, Pakistani actor Moammar Rana too
was summoned. This is not all. There was a dash of glamour quotient incorporated as well with Rozza Catalano, ex-
girlfriend of Saif Ali Khan, adding further weight to the cast.
"The intentions were all right and though the film wasn't much in news during it's making, it seemed that much hoopla
would be made once the film was ready for release", continues the observer, "However, an entire year passed by since
the announcement and there was not much known about the film's progress.
2009 began as well and while
Manisha Koirala went without a release for an entire year, there was no sign yet of 'Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal
De?'."
Naturally, it seems that the film has been lost in oblivion and now even as it is getting ready for June release, it is
getting the kind of treatment which is meted out on stuck projects this season. One wonders whether the film's heads
-on collision with 'Raajneeti' on 4th June indeed makes sense and if Manisha Koirala would eventually manage to
regain her glory?
Saturday, May 15, 2010 13:37 IST