Fire in the Belly

(c) Puja Goyal
Publication: Bangalore Mirror
Kangana Ranaut makes enough news off the sets too. She reportedly verbally and physically abused her driver Rocky for not knowing the way to her sets, sacked her ex- secretary Jai Srikant for obsessing on her and she allegedly got into a spat with her dance instructor Alysa Decruz. We caught up with the actress who was in the city on Wednesday as brand ambassadress of a footwear company to find out if she's really all that fiery.

How did you get into acting?
I wanted to become a doctor, and even took the exams, but did not succeed. Then I gradually moved towards the creative line and realized that my interests lie in Arts. So now I'm pursuing what I love.

After Gangster you haven't had any hits. Even Life in a Metro didn’t quite make it; why do you think it is so?
How can you say that Metro did not do well? It was a brilliantly done movie. I had done four movies last year out of which three were a hit and only SHAKALAKA BOOM BOOM was a flop. What else would you want? I'm not like Madhubala or Nargis to provide hit after hit.

How was it working with Madhur Bhandarkar in Fashion?
He is one of the most talented and creative directors. He is very easy to work with and responds well to his actors.

What about regional films, any offers there?
Yes, as of now I am doing a Tamil film. I had received an offer for a Telugu film but I had to reject it because the dates were clashing. As for Hindi films I'm working on Dhoom Dhaam, Raaz 2 and Kites. In fact I'm very excited about Raaz 2 and I was waiting and pestering everyone to start work on the movie. It's very scary; you should watch it when it comes out.

Reality TV is big now, attracting a lot of stars. Would you consider such shows?
I have no idea what people are doing on TV. I cannot give an opinion on something I do not know and it is wrong to do so. I don’t watch TV and no one in our house watches TV.

You are known to be bold on the screen. Is a film's fate affected by how provocative the actress is?
Skin Display? You guys do not understand how we artists put together a script. Actors deserve all the respect for the work we do. We have to go through a lot of exertion and stress when we put together a scene like kissing in a movie. We have families and we think of the effect it will have on ourselves and them. It's not easy. If the role is of a prostitute and she has to behave a certain way then she has to go through the character description. The way you look at movies and the way we look at movies are vastly different.

What about the famous Bollywood Holi parties, are you going to be a part of any?
It's been ages since I have celebrated Holi.