Wrinkles behind these pancakes

If Manisha Koirala’s intention behind seeking a stay on the release of Shashilal Nair’s film Ek Chhoti Si Love Story was to cause ...

If Manisha Koirala’s intention behind seeking a stay on the release of Shashilal Nair’s film Ek Chhoti Si Love Story was to cause inconvenience to the film-maker, she may have ended up more successful than she had expected.

But if she really wanted to keep people from viewing the film in its current form, then she seems to have failed, because over 2,000 pirated prints are already said to be in circulation.

Koirala, once a promising newcomer who made a splash in Bollywood as Subhash Ghai’s bright-eyed discovery in Saudagar, is now an also-ran in an industry. And although she received favourable reviews for her role as the gangster’s moll in Company, she hasn’t had a bona fide hit in years.

Regarded as one of the best actresses in Bollywood some years ago, Koirala has a body of work that includes a string of decent moneyspinners, but more importantly, a handful of memorable performances (1942: A Love Story, Bombay, Khamoshi, Agnisaakshi and Grahan) that won her both accolades and awards.

Then wrong movies caused a downslide in her career. She jumped at a lucrative offer to host game-show Sawaal Dus Crore Ka when it became evident that movie offers were few and far between. The show was pulled off air, and Koirala turned to smaller film projects with pivotal roles.

Among them were Ek Chhotisi Love Story, and Escape From Taliban. In coming months, she will be seen in Akbar Khan’s Taj Mahal. Koirala has also turned producer. Her first film, Paisa Vasool, starring Sushmita and herself, is in the works.

Nair, for his part, will probably be best remembered for his intense drama, Angaar (starring Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia and Nana Patekar). The film-maker was never able to live up to the promise he showed with that project.

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The reputation of the eccentric genius that he acquired with Angaar fast left him when he followed that film with disappointments such as Falak.

Nair was back in the news some years ago, when he signed three prestigious films. Grahan arrived in cinemas four years late, and failed to set the cash registers jingling.

A fall-out with producer Rahul Gupta saw Nair being thrown out of Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke, a film starring Sunil Shetty and Aishwarya Rai, of which he’d shot almost 50 per cent.

His most ambitious film, One Two Ka Four starring Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Shroff was among the biggest turkeys of 2001. Nair has no films on the cards now.