Manisha Koirala (born 16 August 1970) is a Nepalese actress, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Bollywood, though she has appeared in several Nepali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well. She is also an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer. Born to politician Prakash Koirala and Sushma Koirala in the politically prominent Koirala family of Nepal, she made her acting debut in the Nepali film Pheri Bhetaula (1989). A year later, Koirala made her Bollywood debut with the top-grossing drama Saudagar (1991). She went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses in the 90s with such mainstream films as 1942: A Love Story (1994), Agni Sakshi (1996) and Gupt (1997)