Kangana Ranaut on Awards and Legitimacy in Her Film Career
Kangana Ranaut, who’s next in Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata , recently opened up about how the awards actually gave legitimacy to her film career. Especially with her family. Her conservative family, you know.
She talked to Siddharth Aalambayan about it. How much did the appreciation boost her confidence? She said it mattered deeply because of where she came from.
She recalled how her parents reacted to her debut film, Gangster , and those bold scenes.
She explained that her family came from an academic, administrative background. Films weren't really respected when she was growing up.
She mentioned her grandfather was almost like an IAS officer, director of the Khadi Board. Great-grandfather was an MLA. Everyone came from that academic side. So, watching colorful things, or films, was looked down upon.
She talked about the nineties, early 2000s. The film industry wasn't seen as respectable. It was tied up with the underworld. They were constantly reading about the nexus with Dawood and all that. That’s what her parents were consuming. The whole industry was supposedly under the grip of the underworld.
Her parents weren't exactly fine with her career choices, though. Even when she got successful, they stayed cautious.
She said, when she became successful, she told her mother to stay with her because she felt so alone. Her father told her something else entirely. “Now you have to find yourself. It’s like you jumped into the ocean, now you have to swim your way out.”
They weren't okay with what she was doing. But they accepted that she would do it her way. They just wanted her to do something on her own terms.
Then there was the reaction to Gangster . Her father just didn't respond after watching it. Silence. Then she asked her mother, “Did you not understand anything? How did you find my film?”
Her mother said, “No. In our society, you’re so young. You’re underage. They made you do those scenes.”
Kangana felt seriously heartbroken by that perception. They were worried about social judgment. What would the community say? What kind of films was their daughter making?
She decided then she wouldn't expect any review from them. They hadn't really watched films themselves.
Later, she talked about Amitabh Bachchan’s letter for Queen . She realized her parents just couldn't see it the way artists do. She couldn't hold a grudge. He isn't an artist. He comes from a world of hard, physical work.
But then things started shifting. When she won the National Award, that was a turning point. They were happy. They felt honored by the President.
And then the Padma Shri. That was even bigger. They started to see that people could receive civilian honors for anything. Even films about women empowerment.
Awards helped her gain legitimacy. Among people who might have dismissed her profession before.
She mused that maybe coming from a conservative background isn't inherently bad. She felt, “I didn't want to do item numbers. I wanted to be worthy of my lineage.” She questioned why she was being offered those two-minute roles. She didn't want to do something with someone else.
Her parents’ critical view pushed her. It forced her to choose stronger roles. Refuse to be diminished.
She said, your surroundings shape you. Whether it was her parents or not, their criticism pushed her into a space where she felt, ‘I am no less.’ They couldn't make her feel small.
That pushed her toward roles about strong women, social reforms. She wasn't going to do item numbers. She was going to wear what she wanted.
Awards sometimes help underline the seriousness of an actor's journey. They give it weight. If they weren't there, she thought, maybe some people—not her immediate family, but others—would just keep gossiping. But because of the recognition, they finally understood there was legitimacy to what she was doing.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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