Manara was born in Bokaro, Jharkhand as Barbie Handa, named after a three course meal at Shiv Sagar Restaurant, Mumbai. Her cousin, who lives overseas suggested the name as a nickname but her mother liked the name so much that she kept it as her real name. Mannara"s mother is a jewellery designer and her father is a lawyer
She has a younger sister Mithali, who has studied commerce. She grew up in Delhi and was educated at Summer Fields School, New Delhi. She has pursued a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
She is the cousin of famous actress Priyanka Chopra. She made her Bollywood debut with the film Zid (2014). After completing her education, Mannara moved to Mumbai, where she started her career in modelling and moved into advertising.
She had also appeared in Amit Trivedi"s song ""Bas bajna chahiye", the theme song for Gaana.com.
Besides, she has worked as a fashion designer and as an assistant choreographer, being trained in dance forms like hip hop and belly dancing. By 2013, Mannara ventured into acting, signing up films in Telugu, Hindi and Kannada.
Her first release was the Telugu film Prema Geema Jantha Nai (2014), then credited under her birth name, which featured her as a "very talkative college going girl". The same year, Mannara made her Bollywood debut with Anubhav Sinha"s Zid, co-starring Karanvir Sharma and Shraddha Das.
Her portrayal of an obsessive lover met with mixed reviews.
Mohar Basu called her "radiant" though noted that, she needed "a good deal more of experience". However, the film was a commercially profitable venture. She had also agreed to be part of a bilingual to be made simultaneously in Kannada (as Ninnalle Naanu) and in Telugu (as Nako Vasthava) in 2013, which was shelved later.
She has made special appearances in two Tamil films, Sandamarutham and the upcoming Kaaval (earlier titled Neeyallam Nalla Varuvada).
