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Why did Kangana Ranaut take on tacky films early in her career?

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has achieved what remains a distant dream for many people. Today, she is counted among one of the most successful actresses of Indian cinema, who has made a mark for herself without any backing.

In a time when several actresses want to piggyback on Khans and Kapoors to set their careers in Bollywood, Ranaut has earned everything on her own. She has carried a number of successful movies on her shoulders all alone. But if she has some incredible films on her resume, there are also a few cringe-worthy movies that she has done, especially in the beginning of her career.


In her recent interview, Kangana opened up about what led her to choose those tacky films and take on roles that she did not deserve. She revealed that she did those movies to pay for the surgery of her acid attack survivor sister Rangoli Chandel.

"I was just 19, on the threshold of a bright career, when the attack happened and it was a long, hard struggle to deal with this kind of perverse, sexist cruelty. Financially too, I was not strong back then. Girls around me would feel depressed by a bad hair day or because a meal was not to their liking. I was grappling with something far more real and yet had no time to sit and cry. I did tacky films, took on roles I did not deserve, accepted guest appearances, so my sister could be treated by the best surgeon in India. It took 54 surgeries," the actress recalled.

Opening up further, she said that how her early experiences made her the strong, independent woman that she is today. "I fell into bad company straightaway. Some people took advantage of the fact that I was alone and could not confide in my parents, and I have experienced the worst a person can go through. It toughened me up and made me the person I am. But I wouldn’t want my children to go through such extremes. I would want to be there for them," she said in conclusion.

Kangana Ranaut is presently busy promoting her upcoming film Panga. Directed by Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, the sports drama is slated to enter theatres on 24th January, 2020.

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Anurag Kashyap Dhurandhar

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has added his voice to the praise for Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar

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Anurag Kashyap on 'Dhurandhar': "Ignored the propaganda dialogues and loved the filmmaking"

Highlights

  • Anurag Kashyap calls Dhurandhar a “significant” and “brilliant” film despite disagreeing with parts of its politics
  • Says he ignored what he viewed as propaganda lines and concentrated on the filmmaking
  • Compares the film to Hollywood war dramas often criticised for political messaging

Kashyap’s review singles out craft over ideology

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has added his voice to the praise for Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar, saying he admired the film even though he did not agree with all of its political messaging. Writing on Letterboxd, Kashyap said he chose to look past what he felt were a couple of propaganda-heavy moments and instead focus on the quality of the filmmaking.

He noted that hostility towards an enemy state is often built into the genre itself, adding that he had no issue with that aspect. However, he pointed to two specific dialogues that troubled him, saying that setting them aside allowed the film to work strongly on its own terms. He described Dhurandhar as a good, and ultimately brilliant, film largely set in Pakistan.

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