Manisha Koirala storming out of a press conference

The recent press conference of the movie Sirf, directed by Rajaatesh Nayar saw some high-voltage drama. A journalist posed a question about Koirala to the director when the stars were on stage, which upset the actress so much that she immediately left with her Australian boyfriend.

Says our source, who was at the conference, "Manisha came in at 8 pm with her boyfriend. The event was supposed to start by then, and she was well in time. She was in a good mood and was chatting with everyone. She even told the person in charge of handling television interviews she would be present till the end."

However, everything changed when the event started. Continues our source, "When the event started and the director and stars came up on stage, Manisha was seen smoking. A reporter asked her 'How ethical is it for you to smoke on the dais?' Manisha ignored this, but before long, another reporter asked the director, 'Have you signed Manisha because she has very little work and does not charge too much money?'"

Manisha was stunned. She got up from her chair at this question. Then, signalling to her boyfriend who was sitting in the audience, she walked out of the press conference, obviously upset. After she left, actor Parvin Dabas took the mike and reprimanded the journalist for asking such a rude question. However, the press conference continued without Manisha."

Says actor Parvin Dabas, who reprimanded the journalist, "I reacted instinctively as I had to make a point to the journalist who asked that question. I didn't want him to get away with it. Frankly speaking, it's the first time I've seen someone being so downright rude to any star. Everyone was stunned. Manisha is an actress of great stature and no one has the right to refer to her in such a way. I guess it was someone who would joke with his friends later, saying, 'I asked this star this question'. I feel such a question reflects on the person asking the question, not on the person who the question is about."

When contacted, Manisha sounded excited about the film and spoke about it with great zeal, " This is a very contemporary subject. After a long time I have a film with a great role and a great story. It is about today's problems where everybody admires the next person for his bigger car and bigger house and thinks the grass is greener on the other side," she said.

However, when asked about the conference, Manisha said, "I was there at 8 pm as I was told that the event would start on time. It started a little late and I had meetings lined up after that. So I had to get up and go halfway through the conference."

When asked about the rude questions addressed to her, she said, "The smoking question was addressed to Ranveer, not me. I've seen a lot in life and these little things don't affect me any more. I simply gave all my interviews and then left. In fact, before I left I even asked journalists if there were any more questions for me to answer."

• Frankly speaking, it's the first time I've seen someone being so downright rude to any star. Everyone was stunned. Manisha is an actress of great stature and no one has the right to refer to her in such a way – Parvin Dabas, co-star