Very comfortable as a director: Kangana Ranaut

Actress Kangana Ranaut is known for her ability to immerse herself in the projects she undertakes. The actress who took over Manikarnika: Queen Of Jhansi after the director Krish moved to his next project leaving the film midway, enjoyed every part of the process. Kangana completed the 60 to 70 per cent of the film and felt extremely comfortable donning the director’s hat. She says, “I was recently telling my sister that I don’t know why I like working as a technician.  No actor wants to be in the sun, doing recce when you can be in your suite. I am so comfortable in this job even though I don’t get to put on my makeup or get special treatment. It’s a worker’s life and there is something amazing about this job. Why do people even consider it as a job? Acting is like a job but direction is just like having fun. I hope to get to do more of it.”

Kangana plays the warrior Queen of Jhansi and had several gripping battle scenes involving sword-fighting and bloodshed. The film also stars Atul Kulkarni as Tatya Tope, Suresh Oberoi as Bajirao, Danny Denzongpa as Nana Sahib, Jisshu Sengupta as Gangadhar Rao and Ankita Lokhande as Jhalkaribai.

Talking more about the film she said, “It’s a very special day for me. This film is very special because of its jinxed subject. Many people tried making this film. When I started shooting, I was hurt and had to get 20 stitches.  That day was the first day of my shoot so you can imagine the other obstacles we faced. Has it ever happened that a director is out after half the film is made? We were looking at various options and Prasoon Joshi gave us confidence saying I was the right person but I was not ready.” Eventually, it was her team who gave her the confidence to take up the job. “The team has been so warm and made me feel confident. A young girl like me is going to take over and nobody pressurised me for the release date. But the day has a sentimental value so it was a difficult task for me.”

The actress further reveals they have not kept any stone unturned to make it a larger than life experience. “This is a subject which belongs to each one of us. I was just volunteering. Usually, directing a film is a special experience but this has to be handled with a certain lack of indulgence and as a collective property. I am happy to be part of this film,” she added.