Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 1, 2017)

Mirror (April 6) had recently reported that Kangana Ranaut, who plays the warrior queen in her next film, Manikarnika — The Queen of Jhansi, has kicked off prep with riding lessons by Suresh Tapuriah. Next up, the actress will head to Varanasi to unveil a 20-feet poster of her look from the film at the Dashashwamedh ghat on May 4. Adman lyricist Prasoon Joshi is penning a poem for composers Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy to perform live at the event. The makers chose Varanasi as Lakshmibai was born in the holy city in 1828 to a Marathi-Brahmin family.

"I grew up in Uttar Pradesh and was fascinated with Rani Lakshmibai. I believe she and I have been searching for each other all these years and while the poem is about all that she stood for and is the soul of the film, it is not an eulogy. I'm still writing it but the last line will definitely read 'kab tak aise vaar sahoge'. I am meeting the composers on Tuesday for a jam session," informs the National Award-winning writer who will be referring to his past writings on the queen for the Krish-directed film. He is also writing the dialogue and all the songs. The Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali writer, KV Vijayendra Prasad, has written story and screenplay.

"When I met him he told me he was destined to do this film as he has named his daughter Manikarnika, after the Rani of Jhansi as he was very inspired by her," reveals Kamal Jain, who is producing the film with Zee Studios.

Prasoon reveals that while the film will showcase various phases in the Rani's life, the focus will be on her rising against the enemy. "I'd written dialogue and lyrics for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag earlier. I know there's the danger of repeating myself, but I enjoy the challenge. I compartmentalise my work, focusing on one aspect at a time, so there is no duplication," adds Prasoon.

Will Kangana contribute to the script? "I am always open to ideas. Kangana is passionate about the film and someone I've always admired," he says.

Speaking for the first time on Rangoon’s debacle, Kangana admits she ‘felt like sh*t’
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; April 25, 2017)

"Can you believe they removed it from the film,” asks Kangana Ranaut as she sits pretty with perfect curls minutes before walking the ramp for a fabric launch. She is referring to a scene from her last film, Rangoon, that had her character, Julia, brutally whipping herself. In an interview with mid-day in January, she had said Julia inflicts pain on herself out of shame since “she is so sucked in by her guilt”. Unit hands had even broken into applause after her take.

Kangy admits her confidence taking a beating following the film’s debacle. “I, for one, thought the film had all the ingredients to be a profitable business proposition. It [film’s failure] was heartbreaking. Before this film, every time people asked me if failure throws me back, I knew the answer was no. Do I go into a low zone? Well, this time around I was affected. Maybe when you are bigger and grow more, both success and failure become more of your responsibility. I felt Rangoon’s failure was targeted at me. Various people used that time of my life to direct their anger at me (presumably referring to Karan Johar’s reaction to her nepotism comment). I felt it was unnecessary that when I was dealing with a vulnerable phase in my career; they were hitting out at me. Rangoon was mounted on a humungous budget and publicised around my character. When something like that doesn’t fare well, you do feel like sh* t.”

Ask her if she has done enough introspection and she agrees that the film lacked on many accounts. “The last few minutes didn’t come together. We missed our shot at creating a glorious film by a small margin. It was indeed a difficult time dealing with that phase, but not as much as it might have been for a few other people involved with the project.” Does a flop on her resume put her in a weaker spot and restrict her from being her usual outspoken self? “I am not outspoken because I feel I command a certain opening for films and enjoy a great deal of success at the movies. Even when my films don’t do as well, I don’t stop feeling strongly about issues. But I don’t use opportunities of professional hallmark to lash out at people. I will speak regardless. I notice how people start talking irrationally if your film hasn’t worked. Something tells me that if it had [worked], they would have stayed quiet.”

Kangana says she is not one to waste time pondering over what didn’t work. She is too busy focusing on the road ahead. “I have just wrapped up Simran. We will release the first poster in mid-May. I begin shooting for Manikarnika in June. My director, Krish, is in Jhansi for a recce. And the film I will direct is in the last leg of scripting,” she adds, rising from her chair as her catwalk turn is announced at the Liva Crème launch event.

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 13, 2017)

Mirror had earlier reported (April 6) about Kangana Ranaut kicking off prep for her next, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi, with horse-riding lessons at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi race course.

Now, we have caught hold of a sketch from the film’s workshops that illustrates the actress’s royal look from the historical.

A source from the film’s team reveals, “Kangana has been busy with her horse-riding lessons and in the meantime has also been doing her look tests. Fashion designer Neeta Lulla, known for her flair for Indian looks, has been roped in to design Kangana’s costumes. The shoot is expected to kick off by the first week of June. The sketch is a result of several rounds of discussions between the actress and director Krish. It may be improvised a bit in the near future.”

The 30-year-old actress has kicked off prep for her Rani of Jhansi turn, taking riding lessons at Mahalaxmi race course
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 6, 2017)


Kangana Ranaut, who plays the warrior queen of Jhansi in her next film, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi, is taking riding lessons from Suresh Tapuriah, who has previously trained actors like Jacqueline Fernandez, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon.

A source told Mirror, “On Wednesday, director Krish met Suresh and explained the kind of training the role requires. Kangana will learn how to gallop sedately, as also ride hard with the reins in her mouth and swords in both hands. She has to learn all this in a month’s time as the film kicks off towards the end of May.”

By Suresh’s account Kangana is a fast learner. “She is progressing well but has to accomplish a lot in a short period so I had a meeting with her director to get the brief right. Among other things, he also told me that she might have some scenes of bareback riding which is riding without a saddle.

It’s difficult in a short period of time but we hope to achieve it. We train together for 30 minutes a day at the Mahalaxmi race course amateur riders club. Kangana has already done about four rides with me,” the trainer told Mirror.

Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 27, 2017)

Kangana Ranaut won’t just co-script the historical tri-lingual epic Manikarnika (based on the life and battles of Rani of Jhansi), she will also co-direct the project with Telugu filmmaker Krish.

Says the source, “Rani Of Jhansi was earlier titled Rani Laxmibai and was to be directed by Ketan Mehta. He was to collaborate with Kangana over the project. They had many sittings over the last two years. Kangana was keen to contribute to the script and Ketan, who normally writes his own scripts, was willing to let her contribute.”

Apparently, Kangana’s ambitions grew larger as the project took shape. “She wanted to co-direct with Ketan Mehta. That’s when he put his foot down,” says the source. Kangana reacted by taking the project to another producer.

Says the source, “Kangana has become increasingly collaborative in the making of her films. During Rangoon, she reportedly had constant arguments with director Vishal Bhardwaj. Rather than face a similar crisis of authority, Ketan opted out.”

It remains to be seen how much writer Vijayendra Prasad and director Krish allow Kangana Ranaut to contribute to Manikarnika.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 21, 2017)

For the last two years, Kangana Ranaut has been prepping for Ketan Mehta’s Rani Lakshmibai biopic. On her 30th birthday on Thursday, she will slip into the warrior queen’s avatar and face the camera, but for another filmmaker.

Kangana will shoot for the first poster of Manikarnika, a film on Jhansi Ki Rani, to be helmed by noted Telugu director Krish (of Akshay Kumar-starrer Gabbar Is Back fame).

The story has been penned by K V Vijayendra Prasad, writer of Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali, who happens to be filmmaker SS Rajamouli’s father. Manikarnika is the birth name of Rani Lakshmi Bai.

An insider says, “The new film will be helmed by a fresh team. A top studio, too, has agreed to back the venture, which is envisioned as an action-packed, feisty film. It is the biopic of an ordinary girl, who when faced with tough times, discovered the warrior in her. The film will go on floors in mid-May.”

Meanwhile, there’s no word on Ketan’s Lakshmi Bai film, for which he had brought an international crew on board. “Ketan was insistent that his movie be made in English for an international audience, like Gurinder Chadha’s Viceroy House, but those working on the film felt it won’t go with the ethos of the story,” a source points out.

A British writer, along with Kangana, had written the biopic’s script. “The actress and the filmmaker couldn’t find common ground on the language factor, leaving the project in a limbo,” informs the source.

Calls to Kangana, Ketan and CEO of his production company, Anish Mehta, went unanswered.