Double standards exhaust me!
Interviewing someone who has three National and four Filmfare Awards is exciting, but if it is Kangana Ranaut, then you can rest assured it will also be an explosive affair. You never know what comes out of her mouth which makes it very exciting for a scribe. But as one woman to another, her affinity to take Panga is worrisome and hopefully, her myriad battles don’t get too much for her! But Kangana brushes off your concern
like only Kangana can. “I have been a lone ranger for too long, working alone doesn’t scare me.” Kangana certainly means what she says because this lone ranger is raking in Padma Shris right alongside the man (Karan Johar) who made her a national laughing stock. If that’s not all, she is also launching her production house, directing more movies and so on! You can now be certain that the joke will never be on her.
You said in an interview that you begged Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari to let you go off the hook for Panga. Given the kind of critical appreciation the film is garnering, are you thanking your stars
she refused to let you go?
Ashwiny’s work is something I have always enjoyed. The way she handles the scripts and her actors is awesome. I was obviously always keen on working on Panga. Unfortunately, things went a little awry
during Manikarnika. The dates I had allotted for Panga was to be now shared with Manikarnika – a film I was also to direct. The sudden change in responsibilities, the pressure around me was such that I knew I would not be able to give Panga my best. And I had voiced these concerns to her, asking her to go with someone who can dedicate more time and mind space to her sweet film. But she just refused! She wanted me on board and was ready to work around my schedule. Believe me, I felt so bad that I couldn’t give my all to her film.
You really might have had to commit yourself to her vision in that case, was it easy for you?
I always submit myself to my director’s vision. That’s my job as an actor. Yet, I have some responsibilities
towards my craft. I like to be prepared. It went totally against my grain to come on the sets not knowing what I will be doing today, asking for the sequence graph etc… these are things I am usually pat with. So yes, Ashwiny had to hand-hold me through these hurdles.
You might have been very nervous about the release of this film, in that case…
I don’t think I can say only Panga made me nervous. I think every film does, for everyone. There are many aspects of a film release which are a lot different from making it. Of course, there is nervousness around the release of a film. It is the unpredictability that brings that on. When you are working on the film, you are giving
your best; you can rework on scenes and re-evaluate things too. But when it comes
to the release of the film, you just cannot be prepared. You don’t know what the people will like about it, what
they won’t and so on. Your blood and sweat is at their mercy. It is a scary place to be.
And yet there are times when actors come forward and criticize another actor’s work on social media. What do you have to say about that?
I cannot speak for others. I am someone who never reacts on someone’s work, but I won’t be someone who applauds mediocrity either. I am not going to send flowers to someone whose film was a hit, but work was
pathetic. I feel too exhausted around double standards.
There have been rumours about you doing the next Anurag Basu film, a film with Ranbir Kapoor, another with Amitabh Bachchan and so on… yet you have not gone on record to assert any of these.
Currently, I am working on Thalaivi (Biopic on the life of Jayalalitha) and my energies are all concentrated on that; there is also Dhaakad (an action drama), so let me get done with them before I go working on others.
In the past and even recently you have been in the media storm almost constantly, doesn’t it get overwhelming?
Yes, though I personally think I have a decent equation with most of the media. Yet, I am not someone who has a PR, I don’t have any image building managers. Neither am I someone who can shut up when I have much to say. I have got my freedom, my career and my whole life after a lot of fighting. I have fought at every turn, I have fought my way for everything. Today after achieving so much if someone tells me I cannot say this or that
because I am a celebrity, I cannot take it. It becomes very difficult for me to exist if I cannot speak my mind. I guess that’s the crux of the problem.
But this ‘problem’ as you put forth has never stopped you from speaking your mind…
Well, because I refuse to stop, it creates the said problem. I will give you an instance; I thought I would do things the usual way, so I got myself a PR, a manager and let them work things out for me. They sent me on this talk show, I never wanted to go in the first place yet, there I was. I answered the questions the best way I could. Next thing I know, I have developed new ‘enemies’ in the industry. Some random person from Bhopal (India) has filed a court case against me and so on. Of course, these court cases have no standing, but they almost always make it to the news and then what? They get their moment in the sun and I am left answering bizarre questions all the time.
You are not the only one in your family that gets into trouble for speaking their mind. Rangoli Chandel is more often than not in news for her tweets.
Rangoli is my voice in many ways. She can say things I can only hope to say. She won’t have people randomly suing her because she is not a celebrity. You see how it works?
Don’t you ever feel that your achievements get sidelined in comparison to the controversies that surround you?
The fact that the Government of India has deemed me worthy of a Padma Shri, I would be rather ungrateful if I think that my achievements have been sidelined in anyway. Yes, there have always been news and rumours that surround me, but I don’t let it get me riled up about it. I have fought relentlessly for almost all my life. I don’t think I have ever backed away from a battle. I might have gotten weary of it, but I won’t back off just because I am tired.
What are the issues that raise your hackles now-a-days?
It is mostly concerning the environment. I am born and brought up in Himachal Pradesh; I have grown in fresh air and lived wholesomely as a kid. When I see the way kids are brought up in Mumbai, I fear for them. There are many things we need to correct. Banning plastic, cleaning up after us, planting trees and so on. It will take a lifetime of dedication to make a change on this front, and I am up for it.
Not just about the environment, you have often been very vocal about politics in India too…
Yes, I have an opinion! I’m an Indian first and an actor later; I cannot shrug and say I don’t know about politics because I should be aware of it, I should know the current affairs and I should have an opinion about it. Everything cannot be about playing safe. We are public figures, we are national influencers, what we say matters. What we think matters. We cannot shoot off our lips. It is important to be aware and speak correctly. People really have to stop acting ignorant. High time they develop a backbone and take a stand.
