Edgy, neurotic, suicidal: Kangana Ranaut breaks down her early career image
Actor Kangana Ranaut, in an exclusive interview, revisited the edgy and neurotic roles that shaped her early image. She said each career phase helped her resist typecasting and move towards new characters.
Actor and politician Kangana Ranaut has recalled that she was once known for playing "edgy", "neurotic" and "suicidal" characters, saying those roles defined her early screen image but did not determine the course of her career. As she completes 20 years in the industry, Ranaut said no single film changed her journey. Each phase of her work just pushed her in a different direction.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Ranaut said her career has moved through distinct phases, beginning with emotionally turbulent roles before shifting to comedy and girl-next-door parts, then to leadership figures, and now towards portraying what she called the "very basic woman". She said these transitions came from her effort to avoid being boxed into one kind of role and to keep variation in her career.
Asked whether there was one film that changed the course of her career, Ranaut said it was difficult to single out any one project because every phase of her filmography played a role in shaping her evolution as an actor.
"You know, all the films have made such a strong impact and pushed me in different directions. Whether it was those very neurotic characters in Gangster (2006), Woh Lamhe (2006), Life in a... Metro (2007), Fashion (2008) —there was this series of neurotic roles, and I was known as this edgy girl who was temperamental, neurotic, hot, sexy, suicidal, all of that," she said.
Ranaut said she did not want to remain in that space for too long, even though her early films fixed her image as an actor known for edgy and emotionally turbulent characters. "Then I transformed that image into the comedy, girl-next-door space with Queen (2013), Tanu Weds Manu (2011), Panga (2020), and others.”
That shift became one of the defining phases of her career, with films such as Queen and Tanu Weds Manu bringing commercial success and critical acclaim. Ranaut, however, said that image also began to feel limiting after a point.
She said she then moved towards playing figures associated with leadership. "Then came a time when it was too much of the girl-next-door image, and I took on roles like Rani Lakshmibai, Jayalalithaa, and Indira Gandhi—leadership roles," she said.
The next phase
Now, as she completes two decades in the industry, Ranaut said she is entering another phase in her artistic journey. "And now there's a phase where I'm going into portraying the very basic woman, the unseen woman who blends into the background and whom nobody really pays attention to. So, this is the next phase.”
Ranaut said every stage of her career has been important because each transition came from her wish to challenge expectations and break away from typecasting. "They're all equally important because whenever I felt typecast, I wanted to break away from that cage. I think that has given me a lot of variation in my career," she added.
The actor will be seen in the upcoming film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, which will release in theatres on May 12.
Actor and politician Kangana Ranaut has recalled that she was once known for playing "edgy", "neurotic" and "suicidal" characters, saying those roles defined her early screen image but did not determine the course of her career. As she completes 20 years in the industry, Ranaut said no single film changed her journey. Each phase of her work just pushed her in a different direction.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Ranaut said her career has moved through distinct phases, beginning with emotionally turbulent roles before shifting to comedy and girl-next-door parts, then to leadership figures, and now towards portraying what she called the "very basic woman". She said these transitions came from her effort to avoid being boxed into one kind of role and to keep variation in her career.
Asked whether there was one film that changed the course of her career, Ranaut said it was difficult to single out any one project because every phase of her filmography played a role in shaping her evolution as an actor.
"You know, all the films have made such a strong impact and pushed me in different directions. Whether it was those very neurotic characters in Gangster (2006), Woh Lamhe (2006), Life in a... Metro (2007), Fashion (2008) —there was this series of neurotic roles, and I was known as this edgy girl who was temperamental, neurotic, hot, sexy, suicidal, all of that," she said.
Ranaut said she did not want to remain in that space for too long, even though her early films fixed her image as an actor known for edgy and emotionally turbulent characters. "Then I transformed that image into the comedy, girl-next-door space with Queen (2013), Tanu Weds Manu (2011), Panga (2020), and others.”
That shift became one of the defining phases of her career, with films such as Queen and Tanu Weds Manu bringing commercial success and critical acclaim. Ranaut, however, said that image also began to feel limiting after a point.
She said she then moved towards playing figures associated with leadership. "Then came a time when it was too much of the girl-next-door image, and I took on roles like Rani Lakshmibai, Jayalalithaa, and Indira Gandhi—leadership roles," she said.
The next phase
Now, as she completes two decades in the industry, Ranaut said she is entering another phase in her artistic journey. "And now there's a phase where I'm going into portraying the very basic woman, the unseen woman who blends into the background and whom nobody really pays attention to. So, this is the next phase.”
Ranaut said every stage of her career has been important because each transition came from her wish to challenge expectations and break away from typecasting. "They're all equally important because whenever I felt typecast, I wanted to break away from that cage. I think that has given me a lot of variation in my career," she added.
The actor will be seen in the upcoming film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, which will release in theatres on May 12.
