Queen may have catapulted her to the top list of actresses in Bollywood, but Kangana Ranaut rues the stereotyping that comes with a popular role.
The actress played an introvert Delhi woman in the coming-of-age drama directed by Vikas Bahl, which garnered her the best actress trophy at this year’s National awards.
“Filmmakers do have a tendency to typecast in Bollywood. Ever since I did Queen, I am getting similar scripts. It is true that they think I can do this best,” Ranault said.
Back on the screen with the sequel to her 2011 hit Tanu Weds Manu, the 28-year-old actress believes she has carved out a career by playing difficult roles.
“Every performance is difficult. My roles are never easy. Even a small role in Krrish 3 may not have been emotionally challenging but it was physically tiring. Queen and Fashion were emotionally testing. Similarly, it was emotionally draining to play two characters in Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
In the Aanand L Rai-directed film, R Madhavan will also reprise his role from the original. The movie will hit theatres on May 22 in India.
When asked if the four-year gap between the release of the first film and the sequel will have any adverse impact, Ranaut said, “We kept that in our minds. Kids who were nine or ten during the release of the original film are 15 and our major audience now. It is a family film.
“It is not important to watch the first film to understand what happens in Tanu Weds Manu Returns. It is about two people — a husband and wife — who are completely different.”
Kangana said the upcoming movie is about what happens after the two lead characters marry and is not a comment on modern and contemporary marriages.
“It does not say anything about the institution of marriage. It is about things which are intangible in a marriage. The story is about the love between the two characters,” the National Award-winning actress said.
Madhavan took a sabbatical of three years after the first time and says his break was important as he used the time to understand the new-age methods of acting.
“There has been a dramatic change in filmmaking and acting in movies. I have learnt that during my break. Everyone is living ahead of time. Ranbir Kapoor is one of those guys. He is so comfortable in his shoes. He has the younger generation wanting to be like him. It is very rare to see something like that,” the 44 year old said.
“Ranveer Singh [is] pushing the envelope and even actresses like Kangana Ranaut, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra are doing different movies, which is now testimony of the fact that merely having good looks is not enough. You have to be extraordinary,” he added.
While preparing for the role, Madhavan stayed away from his family, and the actor said he did that so he could completely immerse himself in the character.
“That was part of the preparation. It was a very tough role for me. When an actor is given no or less dialogues and he still has to contribute as the main protagonist of the film, it gets difficult. So, you have to be immersed in the character to make it [the role] worthy of it,” the actor said.
Madhavan’s next release is sports drama Saala Khadoos, in which he plays a boxing coach.
