Manisha Koirala is set to headline the Hollywood independent film ‘Cowgirls & Indians’, a coming-of-age drama from writer-director Tejal Desai that is scheduled to begin filming in Austin, Texas, later this year.
Manisha Koirala is adding another international project to her celebrated acting career. The Heeramandi star is reportedly set to lead the Hollywood independent feature Cowgirls & Indians, written and directed by Tejal Desai.
According to a report by Variety, production is scheduled to begin in November 2026 in Austin, Texas. The film is described as a feature-length expansion and reworking of Desai’s award-winning short film Cowboys and Hindus.
Manisha Koirala to play Asha
Cowgirls & Indians is described as a coming-of-age story centred on Asha, a middle-aged Indian woman living in the American Southwest.
The narrative follows Asha as she attempts to understand herself and navigate unexpected friendships against the backdrop of Texas. The film explores themes including cultural displacement, identity and resilience, bringing together elements of South Asian heritage and the distinct character of the American Southwest.
The project gives Koirala an opportunity to lead a story built around an Indian woman’s experience in an American setting.
Tejal Desai on casting Manisha Koirala
Speaking about her decision to cast the actress, filmmaker Tejal Desai praised Koirala’s ability to communicate complex emotions through subtle performances.
As quoted by Variety, Desai said that Koirala’s work has consistently demonstrated “intense realism, vulnerability, and strength.” She also referred to performances from Dil Se through Heeramandi, highlighting the actress’s expressive eyes and understated approach to emotionally complex characters.
Desai further praised Koirala’s personal resilience, saying the actress possesses a rare gravity shaped by both her professional career and experiences away from the screen.
From ‘Cowboys and Hindus’ to a feature film
The upcoming feature grows out of Desai’s earlier short film Cowboys and Hindus, which received recognition on the awards circuit.
With Cowgirls & Indians, the filmmaker is expanding that premise into a feature-length story while retaining its exploration of cultural identity and the experiences of South Asian characters in an American environment.
Desai has previously worked as a writer on the 2018 television movie A Tale of Two Coreys. She is also associated with the completed short film Dad’s Final Wish, which has yet to be released.
Manisha Koirala marks 35 years in cinema
The new project arrives during an important milestone in Manisha Koirala’s career. The actress is completing 35 years in the film industry in 2026.
Koirala began her acting journey in the early 1990s and went on to establish herself as one of Hindi cinema’s acclaimed performers. Her filmography includes notable titles such as Bombay, Khamoshi: The Musical, Akele Hum Akele Tum, 1942: A Love Story and Dil Se.
Her performances across different genres helped establish her reputation as an actor capable of taking on emotionally demanding roles.
From ‘Heeramandi’ to an international project
Koirala was most recently seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Netflix series Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, returning to a prominent screen role in a large-scale period drama.
Her reported casting in Cowgirls & Indians takes her career in a different direction, placing her at the centre of an independent American production.
The project also arrives shortly after the theatrical re-release of 1942: A Love Story, one of the films that became an important part of her early career.
With filming planned for November in Austin, Cowgirls & Indians represents another distinctive chapter in Koirala’s long journey as a performer, while offering filmmaker Tejal Desai an opportunity to expand her earlier short into a feature-length story.
