She kicks, punches, shoots, slays, breaks bones and shatters glass — soaked in blood, sweat and revenge — Kangana Ranaut as Agent Agni in the just-released action spy thriller Dhaakad, delivers one deadly blow after another, like a true action star. The actress, who has skillfully flexed her muscles in various genres earlier, has now cracked the action space — with guts galore. In a conversation with us, she talks about her warrior spirit, how playing a hardcore action girl was cathartic and what we need to do to save our film industries. Read on...she is on fire...

I was not involved in it at all, because we had such a talented team, and Razy (director Razneesh 'Razy' Ghai) is so competent. Having directed about 400 ad films, he had such a clear and international vision. When I was approached for this film, I was wondering...will I be able to fit into this part at this age and stage? At the time when I started my career, I did not fit into the format of a Bollywood heroine, and I was always trying to find my ground and figure where I belong. I was quite jobless after Gangster. I would get offered those druggie, edgy or homeless kind of roles. When I did Fashion, also because of my body type, I was appreciated, and then I did Krrish 3. Back then, I felt that I would be offered more action roles, so maybe I could create a category for myself and be able to fit in. So, I actively trained in kickboxing and martial arts. Lekin aisa kuch hua hi nahi, things derailed for me, and I did films like Double Dhamaal. I was disoriented and stopped training. Then films like Queen happened, aur main acting mein bahut deep chali gayi, and with every character, I would try to learn accents, gain weight and lose weight. Cut to two years ago, I had put on 20 kilos, and personally, too, I have metamorphosed into an individual where there is a certain way I think and dress… (like I wear a lot of sarees now). I have come to be a certain person.

Yes! Razy was sitting in front of me and telling me about this role and I was thinking about those days when I wanted it so badly. And there I was, as far as I could’ve been from this character (Agent Agni). When he approached me, I was shooting for Thalaivii, and mentally and physically, I was in a different mind space. I was wondering whether I would be able to pull off all those looks, miniskirts and firing guns? It was not just the weight, there was a lot more resistance I had as a person. So, when I met him, in my mind, I was sure that I wouldn’t do it, but he didn’t give up on me. These different looks were a part of it, and my major concern was to be able to pull it off convincingly.

Florian Hurel was the make-up artiste and Sheetal Sharma designed the looks with the director, and to fit into their vision was my challenge. I tell this story to a lot of people. When I first met Salman Khan before Gangster, I showed him my portfolio. He advised me to meet Sanjay Leela Bhansali and said that you are someone who will fit into his films. I went to meet him with my portfolio, which showcased various looks. He went through my pictures, looked at me with great curiosity and said, “Are you a chameleon or what? You change with every look.” I asked him, “Sir, is it a good thing or a bad thing?” He said, “I don’t know, you will figure it out.” And it was such an appropriate answer because, yes, it was difficult to get a break in the industry. You don’t know what you are, and you could be anything. Once you are successful, I guess it is a boon. Razy wanted me for this part as he knew that as a spy on a mission, I could transform with every look. But for my first break in the industry, people could not slot me, and that became a challenge. So, it was good and bad. Over the years, I could not find my ground and say this is my space, which every actor has. At this stage, of course, it seems like a great thing.

I like action films, but the kind of grounded and raw action that you see in Dhaakad. The superhero kind of films and that kind of action is not my zone. I think Charlize Theron is somebody who looks tough and looks good doing action. You need that physicality, and you need to look convincing, and she pulls it off really well. Baaki toh thoda modelling type ho jaata hai.

Yes, the training was really tough. There is a 15-minute long action sequence, and it is something you have never seen before in our cinema. I trained in kickboxing and other martial arts, including Jiu-Jitsu and Krav Maga, to play this part. It is a draining role, and even to be angry, it takes a lot of your energy. We shot for 20-25 nights for that action sequence, and putting in that energy for days and days is exhausting. There are times your body is numb, you have no energy left, but you have to drag yourself on set. Having said that, for me, what works is that, by nature, I am a violent person. I mean in my ideologies. I have that thought process. If we were in different times, I would probably have been a warrior. My school of thought is not — tum ek thappad maaro, toh mein dusra gaal de doongi. I believe in, mujhe khoon do, main tumhe azaadi doonga. So, my very core is right wing. Coming from that space, this part was a bit cathartic. So, it is not like it was imposed on me, I also enjoyed it. It is in my nature, only that my body was not ready for it. In KGF - Chapter 2, there is this dialogue that the lead actor Yash says, “Violence, Violence, Violence! I don’t like it. I avoid, but, violence likes me.” I would tweak that for myself and say, “I like violence and violence also likes me (laughs!).”

The evolution of Arjun as a creative force is tremendous. When we did Rascals, I didn’t understand him as an artiste. We became good friends, and we would party together. During Dhaakad, whenever we sat together, he would talk about the film, how he could add to my character and how we could do certain scenes. It became such an inspiring experience to see how much he is consumed by the entire process and the extent to which he has grown. He is writing scripts, he wants to direct and is producing films. Also, when he was offered the part, people around him were apprehensive about him working with me, but he was so nonchalant about it. He is his own person, and I have huge respect for such people. He doesn’t roam around in herds; he takes his own call.

It is high time… kyun ki uss chhote se budget mein aap kya karenge? Woh 20-30 crore mein social message wali films ban sakti hai. They will mostly be offbeat films, not mainstream. The budgets are not to show off that we have so much to spend, but so that we get more creative freedom. Today, if Razy has brought in an award-winning DOP, Tetsuo Nagata, for Dhaakad along with the kind of action crew that we had, it is because we could monetarily back that scale. This is the liberty that every artiste wants. We also need a good budget for a woman-led film, so that we can deliver.

Yes, of course. For me, it was important to feel that I am well paid, and not exploited. Don’t I go to a set and give my 100%? There are so many injuries that I have taken upon myself for these roles. So, just because I am a woman, not getting paid as much as my male counterpart is a very sad and unfortunate reality. Ab mere saath aisa nahin hota hai.

Yes, sure. The medium also gives you a global platform and being a creative person to have that is great. I would love to explore it more.

I had said this long ago, that we should bring India together with our movies. While growing up, I didn’t know much about people from the South and their culture, but today, when we see their films, we get to know so much about them — what they eat, what they wear. Movies expose us to that. I was more exposed to American culture through their movies, over South Indian films or, say films from the North East. Cinema only brings us together. It’s high time that we come together and save our screens rather than let Hollywood take over, like what happened with the German and French film industries. We need to save our industry, and for that, we need to come together as one force.

Hopefully!