Manisha take care

Manisha Koirala recently split with her boyfriend. This piece of 'news' lingered for rather long in broadsheets, tabloids and fanzines and on websites and blogs dedicated to purveying details of the lives of the bold and the beautiful. Koirala's fresh-off-the-boat ex is Cecil Anthony, a London-based businessman whose association with the actress briefly made him a notable blip on Bombay's ever-promiscuous party radar. "The Nepali diva, Manisha Koirala, has another split. This time it is with her boyfriend of three years, Cecil Anthony. Apparently, the two had been living in different far-off cities and the relationship could not further endure this long distance test," explained the New Delhi edition of the venerable Indian broadsheet Hindustan Times. The paper also supplied information on the star's earlier liaisons, including actor Rahul Roy, business tycoon Ness Wadia (presently linked to Preity Zinta), and Nana Patekar. It failed to list in addition former model Ranjeev Mulchandani, a DJ named Husain (who spells his name 'Whosane') and Crispin Conroy, a former Australian ambassador to Nepal.

In the absence of any significant career enhancement, it is Manisha's off-screen life that has nurtured the Bollywood gossip grapevine for some years now. The actress's personal turbulence and her alleged drinking and drug-fuelled binges are better chronicled than her progress in cinema. This has led to much heartburn among diehard fans, and much resignation among disapproving critics. "She had a great break, and she only has herself to blame for the way her career shaped up," says Komal Nahata, publisher of Film Information, a respected Bollywood trade guide. "You can't mix your personal and professional life."