New beginning

Kangana Ranaut may have had a tragic Bollywood start, but she's working towards taking a happier path in the future.

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has undergone a complete makeover. Earlier, she was cold and unresponsive, making many wonder whether instant success (with her debut Gangster turning into a huge hit) had driven her to behave in such a manner. But today, this 21-year-old has turned a new leaf, becoming more approachable by the media and her fans.

Ranaut has had a turbulent past. Her entry into Bollywood was marred by her troubled relationship with 40-year-old actor Aditya Pancholi. Her sister suffered an acid attack by a jilted lover. And quitting the Bhatt (Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt) camp turned unlucky. Her tragic onscreen image added to her off-screen misery, prompting many to call her "Parveen Babi (popular Indian actress who later suffered schizophrenia) in-the-making".

But it looks like Ranaut has put an end to her bad phase. With the success of Fashion and her new boyfriend Adhyayan Suman, she's definitely looking more confident. "I am a reserved person and prefer to stay aloof, but many people misinterpreted this," she says. "Moreover, when I entered the industry I was around 17 years old and didn't know how to handle things. But I have matured now and in a better position to handle things mentally and financially."

Ask her about her relationship with Pancholi and she immediately shoots off: "I think the Aditya Pancholi chapter in my life is over and I don't want to discuss it". Fair enough. But you wonder if her rough past had anything to do with her selection of disturbed reel characters. In fact, in Fashion she plays a model who dies of a drug overdose. "It is not that I have a penchant for disturbing characters but these were the roles that I was offered initially.

"I am glad that I was offered such strong roles early in my career. It was Anurag Basu (director of Gangster) who spotted me in a coffee shop and offered me the film. I would rather do such well-conceived roles rather than dance around trees. But at the same time I want to do light films. I have some films lined up that will showcase another facet of my personality," says Ranaut.

Moving onto happier subjects, Ranaut has been in the news for her romance with Adhyayan, son of actor and TV host Shekhar Suman. "I am definitely happy with Adhyayan as we are of the same age and share the same wavelength. I think he is a mature guy and hopefully all remains well between us."Some media reports, however, claimed that Suman was unhappy with his son's relationship. Ranaut rubbishes it. "These are just baseless rumours as Shekharji hasn't expressed any dissatisfaction about our relationship. In fact, he is very happy for Adhyayan and looking forward to our first film together – Raaz–The Mystery Continues."

The film pairs Ranaut and Adhyayan and apparently their
off-screen relationship has worked in their favour. Having a boyfriend as a co-star is a new experience for Ranaut. "It is good to work with Adhyayan. I think he has all the trappings of a fine actor and I am pretty impressed with his performance." What about her other co-star Emraan Hashmi (who also worked with her in Gangster). "I share a cordial and professional rapport with Emraan. I admire his passion for acting and he has done a commendable job."

Raaz-TMC is Ranaut's third film with the Bhatts after Gangster and Woh Lamhe. Earlier Mukesh Bhatt had acknowledged Ranaut as a rare talent and an unique combination of Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi. However, Ranaut says, "I think I have a long way to go before I reach what those great actresses have achieved." Well, we do hope that it won't be too long before she does catch up!

Meanwhile, the film has raised tremendous expectations, as it is a sequel to the 2002 Bipasha Basu-Dino Morea starrer Raaz.

Most expensive horror flick Raaz – TMC is Bollywood's most expensive horror flick to date. The film has superior special effects to back a spooky, mysterious tale. The Bhatts entrusted the project to filmmaker Mohit Suri, who directed Zeher, Kalyug and Woh Lamhe. Suri's previous film Awarappan, which starred Hashmi, was his best effort and Bhatt's most expensive film to date but it didn't fare well at the box office. Despite the setback, the Bhatts and Hashmi bounced back with the super-hit Jannat last year.

Hashmi back in action

Hashmi's performance in Suri's films has always been well appreciated. Hopefully this will work for Raaz-TMC as well. "Since Mohit (Suri) is my cousin, I understand him well. So when we work together we know what to expect from each other," says Hashmi. "Raaz-TMC is an important film because this is the first release after Jannat. Moreover, this is my first horror film and I am a fan of this genre." In Raaz-TMC, Hashmi is a painter who creates images of a mysterious girl with supernatural elements.

Hit music

A common factor in Hashmi's and Bhatt's films is the melodious soundtracks and it's no different for Raaz-TMC. Comparisons with Raaz may not be fair but the music works as a standalone. The song Maahi has climbed the music charts, thus adding another feather to Hashmi's hat. The other songs – Soniyo and O Jaana – are popular as well.