Kangana Ranaut is all set to bring the story of Rani Lakshmibai to the big screen with her upcoming historical drama Manikarnika – The Queen of Jhansi. The trailer was unveiled on December 18 and it showcased the actress in an action-packed avatar. A couple of months ago, the film’s director Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi could not give new dates for the reshoots of the film. So, Kangana took the charge to complete the patchwork and ended up reshooting many sequences.
Speaking about being a director and doing work the without hesitation, Kangana Ranaut said, “I don’t know what is it about me but I really love working as a technician. No actor wants to be out in the sun as opposed to being in the AC van. No actor wants to be among 80 sweaty people who are asking you 100 questions.”
“I don’t know what it is about me that I am so comfortable in this job. There is nothing I love more than directing. Even though I don’t get to wear makeup or look like my star self or get any special treatment. It is absolutely a worker’s life, to be honest, but there’s something so amazing about this job that I don’t know why people even consider this a job. It is so much fun,” Kangana Ranaut said at the trailer launch on Tuesday.
“I think acting is more like a job but directing is a lot of fun. I hope I get more chances to do this. This seems like my first love,” she further added.
Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi has been credited as the co-director in the trailer along with Kangana Ranaut. There were reports earlier that stated that the director left the project due to differences with Kangana. But, the makers had rubbished these claims and stated that Jagarlamudi had given dates to NTR biopic due to which he could be part of the reshoots.
Kangana Ranaut also revealed that it was Prasoon Joshi, CBFC Chairman and dialogue writer of Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi, who suggested that she should direct the film. “Prasoon Joshi first showed confidence in me and said I would be the right person (to direct the film). I was not ready. When I started shooting for the film, we had action and horse riding and all of that. I felt I was a duck paddling beneath the surface. It was all too much for me from action to costumes to drama. But the whole team was warm to me,” she said.
Kangana further added, “I was conscious as there were a lot of things in the media, gossip and opposition as they don’t know what has happened and at this time we could go and clarify things. But everyone was warm to me and I felt confident.”
Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi also stars Danny Denzongpa as Ghulam Ghaus Khan, Atul Kulkarni as Tatya Tope, Jisshu Sengupta as Maharaja Gangadhar Rao, and Ankita Lokhande as Jhalkari Bai. Produced by Zee Studios and Kamal Jain, the film is scheduled for January 25, 2019 release.
