Kangana Ranaut is the poster child for controversy, every time her name is in the news there is some issue or another going on around her.
Recently, the original director of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Krish Jagarlmudi, came out with certain allegations of how Kangana Ranaut was extremely difficult to work with and how it was because of that and other reasons that he left the project.
Apparently, Krish in an interview with SpotboyE said that, “I had finished my entire edit in June. I had completed all the reels and even given them for sound recording. Everybody even dubbed but not Kangana. She was shooting for Mental in London.
She later said that she had few small concerns. After few days, she said that iska jyaada hai, uska jyaada hai, this girl is overpowering, that girl is overpowering. Then she came up with yeh change karna hai, woh change karna hai. She also said that Kamal Jain (producer) hadn’t liked the film.”
After that, Krish took offence to Kangana saying that Sonu Sood’s character should be killed off at the interval time as he believed it to be against history and against the character Sood was portraying.
The director refused to these changes and left the project, Sonu Sood too left the film once he heard that Krish had exited the film.
But in light of all this, I can’t help but wonder of how, even though I don’t particularly like Kangana Ranaut as a person and some of her actions, but I still want her to succeed in this industry badly.
With Manikarnika doing good business both commercially and critically, in just 4 days the film has a box office collection of almost 47 crores, it certainly looks like a good time for Kangana.
#1. Biased Towards Women
One thing that strikes me about Ranaut is her clear bias towards women and it is almost refreshing to see in Bollywood where males stick together for the most part.
For instance, when Nana Patekar was accused by Tanushree Dutta, many big male actors either remained silent over it all or even outright supported him.
We all remember how easily Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan chose not to comment on the case while they were promoting their film. These two are usually talking about female empowerment and sexism so it was a bit of a shock to see them not comment.
Even in the case of Manikarnika, the director Krish stood beside Sonu Sood a supporting character instead of with Ranaut.
I’ve never before heard of a director leaving a film mid-shoot just because a female character was not being done justice to.
In that case, it is good to see Kangana Ranaut side with the females most of the time and show them a clear bias. Ankita Lokhande, whom she is launching in Manikarnika cannot stop raving about her as a co-star and director.
#2. Parallel Industry
Speaking of Ankita Lokhande, it also seems like Kangana might start a parallel industry just like Salman Khan has done.
With her getting involved in directing and other aspects of film-making and launching new people, she could very well be the next Salman Khan.
Slowly she might start amassing the same kind of loyal and trusted people around her like Khan has and start giving work to new struggling actors.
Read More: Karan Johar Killed Anushka Sharma’s Character In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Because He Wanted To Punish Her
#3. Cutting Other’s Parts
In the same interview, Krish commented that, “I don’t blame Sonu for quitting. His run time was 100 minutes and it was being chopped to 60 minutes. Who will agree? Nobody would.”
First off, just a 40 minute cut does not seem that bad, actors have had literally their entire roles scrapped during the final editing, so this is nothing new.
Also to be honest, I don’t understand how that is any different from what a number of leading male actors frequently do in their own projects.
Akshay Kumar and other actors have often been accused of getting involved in the editing room and get the screen time of other actors cut short so that their character can shine the most. Yet, right now Akshay Kumar is perhaps one of the most respected and socially conscious actors in Bollywood.
How is this any different from that?
#4. Not The First Difficult Actor
Also, I don’t understand why such a ruckus is being made over Kangana being a very difficult person to act with.
This is nothing new of what we hear of veteran actor Rishi Kapoor and him being rude to the case and crew. There have been various news reports published of how he lost his temper as the smallest of things and his social media is proof of that too.
Amitabh Bachchan also has had several rumours surrounding him of how he cut down the roles of his own colleagues like Dharmendra, Shatrughan Sinha, and more when he was rising in popularity back in the day.
Salman Khan for instance has been reportedly accused of interfering in the filming of Race 3 and how he would not let director Remo D’Souza do anything that he wanted to.
In a report by an entertainment, a source allegedly said that,“Remo was constantly ‘directed’ by Salman Khan during the shooting of Race 3. In fact the entire cast including Anil Kapoor took directions from Salman. Remo could feel the project going out of control. But there was nothing he could do about it. When Salman Khan takes charge you either comply or you leave. Kabir Khan chose never to work with Salman after Tubelight was ghost directed by Salman. Remo also won’t be returning for Race 4.”
This came out after the director Remo d’Souza himself came out to talk to IANS about the debacle that was Race 3 and said that, “I learnt two very important things after that film [Race 3]. Firstly, never work on a half-baked script, work on the script much harder before you roll the camera. And secondly, I have learnt to put my foot down when it’s needed, especially when creative difference happens. One can argue till one level, but not after that. So then, it’s better to put my foot down.”
Aamir Khan’s nit-picking and over-involvement in his films is seen as him being a perfectionist.
None of them are demonised like Kangana is and that is where it becomes even more important that she succeeds. I’m definitely invested in her becoming a professional success even if I might not like her a person.
I’m not saying she has not done problematic things, and as a person I don’t particularly like her that much, some of her actions are a bit shady in nature and that does not sit well with me.
But at the same time, there is just something about her, the rebel trait that she carries off so well, where you want this rebel to win. You want her to win just to show what true ambition really is like, and how double standards still exist where just because she is a woman, she is being made out to be this evil creature whom no one should touch with a 10-foot pole.
Kangana Ranaut is standing against some of the most powerful people in Bollywood almost unapologetically and that almost makes you want to admire her determination to get to the top and perhaps become one of the most powerful people in the industry.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Koimoi, NDTV, India Today
Find the blogger at: @chirali_08
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