Her journey from a small town to reigning over the world of showbiz was no ‘fairytale’. Kangana Ranaut, who has earned the epithet of Bollywood’s Queen, says that instead of hoping to be taken seriously Indian actresses need to get up and demand what is their due. (Also Read: Kangana Ranaut May Star With Irrfan Khan in Feature on Begum Akhtar)
The actress, who is known for speaking her mind, is ‘pessimistic’ about India becoming a safer place for women any time soon and finds the thought a ‘little impractical.’
Kangana expressed her views at the ‘Women in the World Summit’ in London on Friday, nytlive.nytimes.com reported.
When asked by how Indian actresses could assure that they were taken seriously, Kangana said, “As women we shouldn’t hope to get our due – we need to get up and get it ourselves.”
Kangana, who is touted to be the highest paid actress in Bollywood, said that attaining safety for women in India is ‘not achievable’.
“I think that’s a little impractical to hope (for),” she said.
Kangana has utmost confidence in womankind but she notes that “the darkest and deepest corners of the human soul have always been feminine. They offer the only way to penetrate the darkness-not anger or aggressive masculine emotions”.
The actress, who originally hails from Himachal Pradesh and had no filmy background, made a niche for herself in Bollywood with films like Fashion, Tanu Weds Manu, Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
When asked if it was easy to find success, she quipped: “I have struggled for the last 10 years.”
Talking of her initial days of struggle, the actress said, “It was no fairytale. I was nothing like I am today – I couldn’t speak a word of English. In England, people might be understanding of that, but in Mumbai if you don’t speak English, people would ask ‘How does she expect to work in Hindi films?’
Today I am who I am because my understanding of myself never changed.”
Having grown up in a small town, Kangana stressed that as a girl she was at odds with Indian culture.
“Perhaps the only expectation is that you grow up as a presentable young woman and get a decent spouse. I was a pain, not the kind of child an Indian parent would like to have,” Kangana said.
She decided to run away on a ‘quest to understand her own self, to be allowed to be more than people thought she was.’
