Manisha Koirala reveals why she's single at 54

Veteran Bollywood actor Manisha Koirala, who celebrated her 54th birthday last year, shared what it's like to be single at this age and whether she's looking for a lifelong partner or not. During her interview with Pinkvilla, she further reviewed her glamorous past that brought her to the laid-back lifestyle she carries now.

On whether or not she misses having a companion, Manisha began with a gentle joke. "Who says I don't have one?" Laughing, she clarified, "No, I'm kidding. Yes and no, because I feel I have made peace with who I am and the life that I have. If a companion has to walk into my life, I don't want to compromise and let go of the quality of life that I have. If the companion can add on it and walk alongside me, I'm more than happy. But I don't want to change what I have right now."

Manisha believes in fate, and she's hopeful that if a companion were to walk into her life, it would happen on its own without any interference on her end. "My life is full," she stressed. "I just hope it continues - this choice, this sense of freedom and fulfilment that I get."

Mother to a dog and a cat, Manisha has some understanding of what it's like to be a constant parent, though she does acknowledge that it's not the same as raising a child.

Harking back on her desire to adopt children, she concluded that she can't be legally responsible for a child due to her health concerns. Guided by her family's suggestion, she now spends her time overseeing the upbringing of children placed in orphanages. "I'm in the process of doing that," she candidly shared.

The Saudagar actor is no stranger to stardom. Confessing that fame did indeed impact her attitude, she elaborated, "I think I had changed. Pride struck me, back then. This is because when you achieve success early on and without working too much, then something about you is bound to change. You're immature. You're young. You hardly have an understanding of the world or even yourself. I think it makes you a little arrogant."

Manisha believes that the realisation that "you are not the centre of the world" develops with age and maturity, though this is difficult to identify in one's youthful years. However, she never took this as a reason to hurt anyone, often humbled to the ground by her parents.

She entered the film industry as a sensitive, wide-eyed dreamer, filled with wonder and hope. Rather than fading with time, her sense of wonder has only grown stronger. Today, she firmly believes that happiness can be found both in the industry and in the world beyond.

"The industry is definitely challenging because there's a lot of competition. People from all walks of life come here to make it," she admitted.

For Manisha, among those challenges was her difficulty in grasping that men were calling all the shots. "I hated the double standards. My rebellion streak came because of that. I was just not happy with that," she shared.

During a time when the makeup departments of the industry were dominated by male artists, Manisha believes that she was the one who triggered a shift by getting a female makeup artist on the set of Mann. "Soon after, change started emerging. They just initially need somebody to push that," she observed.

Mentioning the pay gap and etiquette disparities, she cited a simple example, "If a hero smoked, no one would bat an eye. But if a woman did, they would call out our names," she said. "That's why I rebelled. The boundaries constricted us."