Initially, I wanted to do films with A-list actors when I was struggling. I was hoping that I could also get that platform where I'm launched with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan... and with them my career could also start, but it didn't happen. And then came 'Queen.'
— Kangana Ranaut
While choosing a fashion show, I take into consideration the designer and the collection. Then only I said yes to do a show.
People talk about PlayStations, video games, social network and Twitter; I can't handle it.
At 18, I wanted to work with the creme de la creme because I thought that was the only way to be successful. But I don't think any A-lister has done as many B-grade films as I have.
I have a knack for choosing the wrong people.
Money can't buy everything, but it can buy most of it. Because of money, I could give my parents a comfortable life.
I am now in a position to choose roles. I did not have so many offers before 'Queen,' but now things have changed a lot.
Physically, it is very demanding as an actor, and I don't want to put a lot of focus on that, but I think it is emotionally and mentally a lot more... It can completely twist you... We abandon ourselves for days and months, and by the end of it, we are twisted people which you make fun of.
As it is, relationships are difficult, aren't they?
From my side, there was no acceptance to this fact that I am any less than anyone around me. So there was a certain discomfort that I felt growing up that I am not seen as I want to be seen as.
There is a huge gap between the remuneration of an actor and actress.
Nobody is like Tanuja Trivedi in this whole world.
Item numbers are not my cup of tea.
Tone matters more than words.
The kind of roles which you get, people identify with your roles, and it then leads to the kind of brands you get.
This man who was my father's age hit me hard on my head when I was 17. I started bleeding. I took out my sandal and hit his head hard, and he started to bleed, too.
My parents gave me the easy option that if you're going to go your way, that's the highway. You can expect no funds and no support, which I think was legitimate; that was a fair option.
The other actresses, who are called my contemporaries, they started with a megastar. They were superstars overnight and are the same even today.
I am not comfortable walking the ramp for just any designer. I am particular about who I associate with.
I don't feel like a 27-year-old; I feel I am way mature than someone that age.
I think I am still underpaid. I want to make as much money as my male counterparts.
My sister and I had jointly heard the narration of 'Revolver Rani' in Tigmanshu Dhulia's office. After hearing the narration, my sister was very scared and adamant that I should not do this film, as my character was twisted, neurotic, violent and abusive.
I don't really give into all that philosophical talks that 'money is not everything.'
I dread shooting with animals. I hope I never get a script with snakes.
Relationships can be very traumatic. But being in a healthy relationship can be very empowering.
To expect this larger-than-life, holier-than-thou sort of existence from us is not possible. We as much want to make our own mistake as a man does.
It's very hard to live in an environment where you're reminded, constantly told that your existence just happens to be here... That you are not meant to be here.
I think the kind of films and roles I do takes a whole year... I think it is justified. At some point, we have to come to that place where we are equally paid. It is a small step... we are headed to that direction.
In 'Rangoon', I play an action star of the 1940s.
All beautiful things in this world are because of women.
It is true that some people are interested in the buying part of things... They want to buy everything from the movie reviews to the media net to the opinions and so on.
Image means a lot. It is everything in the business that we are in.
I liked the fact that my father had a lot of expectations from my brother. I probably wanted to be that person who he could be proud of.
In India, it's a matter of fact that a girl child is seen as a liability. Probably the only expectation is that you grow up to a presentable young woman who can get a decent spouse.
I started from B-grade films, and today I'm the number one actress of this country... whereas other actresses, whom you might call my contemporaries, they have had no growth in whatever platform they were launched... they are still there and have not risen to another platform.
I write poems, I meditate. I don't live up to people's expectations. I don't do the conventional cool things - I know I am the coolest person.
When I was born, my parents - my mother especially - couldn't come to terms with that fact that they had another baby girl. I know these stories in detail because every time a guest visited, or there was a gathering, they repeated this story in front of me that how I was the unwanted child.
What can you do if they have slapped you with a legal notice? You have to reply. For all you know, they have taken you to jail or something.
I am an independent girl. I always put my work first in my priority.
My views are very fluctuating. I have very contradictory takes on the subject. Dating is easier, while marriage is hard work. You see your friends having early divorces, and on the other hand, you see your parents having a successful marriage.
When I did these psychological characters like the drug addicts, the ones who were rejected and dejected, I started to feel a sort of melancholia which was very unnatural for me to have at a teenage. Then I avoided those characters.
Freedom of being alone is intoxicating.
The glorification of sisters, mothers as the selfless Indian women who will do 'agni pariksha' and the one who sees her own betterment only in the betterment of their husbands and fathers, that has to stop. It's very regressive.
Male actors get into production, share profit, and they don't take money at times but are involved in some capacity which is economical and resourceful. These things suit them; as they have made a place for themselves, they have command over the box office.
I am extremely proud of my rags-to-riches story. It's fun to be a misfit or an underdog if you acknowledge your gifts and befriend your obstacles.
Women empowerment does not mean you create complex among men. Then it will take 20 more years to empower men. It is all about evolving as a soul, as a human being. It does not mean that you become a sexist.
When you are romancing a woman in a relationship, it should be poetic. It should have layers.
You spend so much to buy these media net stories or full page ads to build perception... you can rather save this money and put it in the making or marketing of the film.
In my film 'Queen', there was a funny moment with the bra. My director called and said they are blurring the bra. They said it is vulgar. Our director was furious about it. We are artistes... We see props as they are. A woman's bra is not a danger to the society.
When I moved to Bombay, it was very harsh. I was nothing like what I am today. I couldn't speak a word of English. In England, people might be very understanding about that, but in Bombay, they're not very forgiving. 'If you don't speak English, how do you expect to work in Hindi films?'
