My professional life is like walking on a thin rope: Kangana Ranaut

National Award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut has been embroiled in controversies for the last couple of months, the latest row being about sharing the director’s credit with Krish. The actress talks about her inspirational journey, where she recounted her childhood days, roadblocks and triumphs on the path to become the force to reckon with in the film industry.

Recalling her childhood days, Kangana says, “I remember being overprotected. I was very different from other children. While others would be playing, I would doze off under a tree. I was lost as a child and was always very quiet.” The actress, who has a younger brother and elder sister was considered the rebellious child. “At the age of 14, after tenth grade, I moved into a huge school with lots of people from a small school. For me, the campus was intimidating. I was a good student but I couldn’t cope up in this setup,” she admits.

But her heart was not in academics and after telling her parents about her disinterest in studies, she left for Delhi to begin her modelling career.  “I couldn’t stay in the hostel where my father sent me and he could never empathise with me as he couldn’t understand that I was having trouble with studies. He became stern with me and during weekends, when children would call home, he wouldn’t take my calls and told my mother that I need to be tough,” she explains. Kangana also shared that for each modelling assignment, she was paid about Rs 7,000 to 8,000.

But modelling didn’t work out too well for Kangana and she then joined an acting workshop. That was a turning point in her life. “If your intention is right, you will never fall flat on your face. I am a very straightforward person and say whatever I believe in.” she said.

Talking about her professional life that has seen a more than a fair share of ups and downs, she reveals, “I feel my professional life is like walking on a thin rope. I feel I have faced a lot of challenges in the last few years. I felt cornered when I had my accident while fighting (in a scene of a film). I had 18 stitches on my forehead and six people attacking me simultaneously in media.”

But the feisty actress doesn’t believe in lying low. “I don’t get depressed during a low phase. I keep myself happy and worry about my career but not too much. I have a closely-knit group of friends and family with whom I spend time. My heart and soul were in for Manikarnika as this story belongs to each one of us. It is not like Rani Laxmibai was my relative; she belongs to each one of us. Whatever we are today is because of those who fought and sacrificed their lives. Yes, crossing the Rs 100-crore mark does say that the film is a success. I didn’t charge a single penny to direct the movie. I was completely devotional to it. People loved it and are overwhelmed after being connected to the legacy, though some people are being obnoxious and ganging up against me in the industry,” she says.