Kangana Ranaut: Won't act in my productions

Ready to launch her studio in January, Kangana Ranaut shares blueprint of her filmmaking dreams

In 2017, Kangana Ranaut had expressed her wish to foray into production and had subsequently bought property in Pali Hill for her studio, Manikarnika Films. However, she appeared to have hit the pause button on the plan thereafter. Now, Ranaut — more experienced after her successful foray into direction with Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi — has fast-tracked her production dreams. The new year will start with the actor-director throwing open the doors of her studio in Khar.

"My office will be ready by January. Simultaneously, we are readying our projects. There are so many good scripts that come my way and the [makers] want me to feature in them. But there is so much new talent that needs to be given a platform. It’s important that these powerful scripts don’t get lost and make it to the big screen," says Ranaut. Her business acumen comes to the fore as she quickly does a round of number-crunching and explains why she will test the waters with small-budget films. "If JudgeMentall Hai Kya was made without me on a budget of Rs 10 crore, it would have been a blockbuster at Rs 40 crore. However, because it was made at nearly Rs 30 crore, it just about broke even. I want to [back] a few small films and see how that goes. Eventually, I may do something on a bigger level. We will also venture into digital entertainment."

Kangana Ranaut turned director with Manikarnika earlier this year

It is not surprising that the actor, who made nepotism the buzzword in Bollywood, is working towards making the industry more inclusive. "I won't be acting in the films that I produce. There is a lot of talent around and I will hire actors who are perfect for the scripts. I will take new talent under my wing and guide them."

So, where does direction fit in the scheme of things? "We will announce my next directorial vehicle soon. I may begin working on it after Dhaakad," she signs off.

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