Multiple National Award winner, actress Kangana Ranaut will soon be back on the big screens with her ambitious project 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi', which revolves around the life of Rani Lakshmibai. It's being said that she recently re-shot some portions of the film and will be sharing the directorial credits with the director Krish. Kangana, who is currently shooting for Ashwini Iyer’s 'Panga', flew down to Mumbai to supervise the editing of 'Manikarnika'.
Kangana insists that this was not her first shot at direction.
"I was 23 or 24, when I directed my first film. It was a 10-minute short film that I had shot with an international crew. Also, at that time, I was struggling with small roles in films like Double Dhamaal. So, I have been a director since then. Be it direction, writing or editing, I have already done it all in the past. When everyone asks me if Manikarnika is my first film as a director, my reply is of course not. It's not my first film as a director. You don’t direct a big epic period as your first film” she said in an interview to First Post.
Kangana, who plays the title role in the film which she also produces, took over from Krish as director when the latter moved on to his next project. She completed the patchwork and re-filmed some sequences, which Kangana says was "unsettling in the beginning."
"Every film that I do is important to me because I've committed myself to it. I have taken money and assured absolute involvement to the team. But Manikarnika has demanded a lot more of my attention than I intended to give it. I did lose control over things, especially when it came like a hurricane and the way things unfolded overnight. I had to shoot this film amidst a lot of challenges and that was a bit unsettling in the beginning. I had time constraints and bringing the crew was a struggle, which I wasn't ready for, but I surpassed that. Later on, of course I was in my comfort zone and ready to direct. Eventually, I enjoyed it a lot” the actress concluded.
Manikarnika chronicles the life of Rani Lakshmibai in her fight for Independence of her land and country from the British. The film is slated to hit the big screens on the Republic Day weekend next year and also stars, Atul Kulkarni, Jisshu Sengupta and Narayan Rao in supporting roles.
