Kangana Ranaut poses for a photograph. File/AFP

Sharing the challenges of directing a film, Bollywood actress-filmmaker Kangana Ranaut says a director is faced with a “minimum of 400-500 questions” every day. Kangana took to Instagram story, where she shared an interview of American film director Martin Scorsese who is talking about framing and blocking a scene.

The actress, who ventured into directing films in 2019 with ‘Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi’ wrote alongside the post: “Most challenging things about direction is....A director is faced with minimum of 400-500 questions every day from all departments, camera, art, actors, make up, production and of course the direction department...” She added: “Trust me what you want to do as a director is easier to do than to explain... limiting your vision to words is rather agonising that’s why best teams are those who read emotions and energy and doesn’t get entangled in words... and best directors are those who let those emotions lead them not ambition.”

Her next directorial is ‘Emergency’, where she will be seen playing the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.It also stars Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhry, Vishak Nair, Satish Kaushik, Milind Soman and Shreyas Talpade in prominent roles. Kangana also has Sarwesh Mewar’s ‘Tejas’, in which she will be seen portraying the role of an Indian Air force pilot. Her film ‘The Incarnation: Sita’ is in pipeline. Kangna Ranaut is an Indian actress and filmmaker who works primarily in Hindi films.

Known for her portrayals of strong-willed, unconventional women in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards, and has featured six times in Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list. In 2020, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.

At the age of sixteen, Ranaut briefly took up modelling before being trained under theatre director Arvind Gaur. She made her film debut in the 2006 thriller Gangster, for which she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and received praise for portraying emotionally intense characters in the dramas Woh Lamhe... (2006), Life in a... Metro (2007) and Fashion (2008).

For the last of these, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared in the commercially successful films Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010) but was criticised for being typecast in neurotic roles. A comic role in Tanu Weds Manu (2011) was well-received, though this was followed by a series of brief, glamorous roles in films that failed to propel her career forward.

Ranaut’s career prospects improved in 2013 when she played a mutant in the science fiction film Krrish 3, one of the highest-grossing Indian films. She went on to win two consecutive National Film Awards for Best Actress for playing an abandoned bride in the comedy-drama Queen (2014) and a dual role in the comedy sequel Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), which was the biggest-earning female-led Hindi film at the time.

This was followed by several commercial failures and a decline in stardom. Her sole successful venture in this period was her co-directorial venture, the biopic Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019).

Agencies