Actor Kangana Ranaut, who chose a traditional Kanjeevaram sari styled with a sequined corset and gloves at the ongoing 72nd Cannes Film Festival, has said Bollywood has changed a lot in the past few years. She added that female actors can now find a space for themselves and do not have to fit into stereotypes.
“Today I see so many actresses who can have a successful career if they don’t know dancing. Or if you are a dancer, you can continue doing that, but I feel that since the last year or two, a lot of women have made a comeback, be it Neena Gupta or Madhuri Dixit without being frowned upon for age. So, there are not mainstream things that are happening, but at least there are some examples to begin with, and it’s not a bad thing,” she said.
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She was speaking at the India Pavilion of the ongoing Cannes Film Festival on Thursday. The National Award-winning actor, who is presenting Vodka brand Grey Goose at Cannes, was with Amit Khare, secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Central Board of Film Certification chief, Prasoon Joshi.
“When I started out, after my debut in a very strong role, I was jobless for a considerable time because I was not fitting into the roles that were popular during those days... The singing and dancing, and that was the absolute. But now I see a lot of people and actresses who come and find themselves in some category. There are a lot of categories now... some can do niche cinema if you don’t know dancing. Like I didn’t know dancing and it was such a big deal. I can fight, I can do everything, but I am not good with dancing,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}“When I started out, after my debut in a very strong role, I was jobless for a considerable time because I was not fitting into the roles that were popular during those days... The singing and dancing, and that was the absolute. But now I see a lot of people and actresses who come and find themselves in some category. There are a lot of categories now... some can do niche cinema if you don’t know dancing. Like I didn’t know dancing and it was such a big deal. I can fight, I can do everything, but I am not good with dancing,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}She also talked about her idea of nationalism. She said: “I don’t know when and how nationalism and being liberal became two different things because nationalism is something very spiritual in nature. When you identify with another being, when you fall in love with someone, it is such an exhilarating feeling. You include them, and you feel one with them. And if you identify with a set of people, that makes your family, right? And then you start to identify with your village, your caste people... It expands your experience of inclusiveness. So, nationalism is nothing but identifying with a whole lot of people who have vowed to be in the same constitution or have the same passport or vow to protect the same land. It’s nothing but your extended family.”
Kangana also delved upon changes that need to be brought about in the way a film set functions. “Our technicians are hugely devalued and there are people who do stunts... there is no insurance for them. Human life, the way it is treated on sets, it’s so sad. Some people have no value of time. Shifts of 8 hours run to 12 hours and some people get so consumed by the so-called fashion and the lack of planning and organising things, that things roll into lunch breaks, snack breaks and there is so much delay... Actors, directors go into their vans, eat on time, they take care of their diet, but the way a unit is treated is definitely something we must look at,” said the actor, who directed Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.
Food is another concern, she added. “There is a difference between the food they get. There’s Unit 1, 2, 3... these are petty things. Sometimes the films cost crores. Sometimes films have a huge budget, but because you are used to treat human life in such a crass way, you continue with that tradition without realizing you have the budget for everything, but you just don’t want to do it... There should be strict rules for that, and more for human rights,” she asserted.
For her red carpet look, she was seen in a customised Falguni Shane Peacock corset with a golden Kanjeevaram sari and burgundy-coloured gloves — a nod to Audrey Hepburn’s iconic gloves from the all-time classic movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Her look was completed with a tightly-wound bun with a wavy side-parting, invoking regal imagery of an era gone by. After retro-chic look for the red carpet, Kangana turned heads in an edgy Nedret Taciroglu pant-suit for the Grey Goose party at Cannes later in the day.
Her pant suit ensemble included an exaggerated collar, gold trimmings and a cream bustier, all of which did justice to Kangana’s toned physique. Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra also walked the red carpet Thursday. Cannes Film Festival 2019 opened on May 14 and will go on till May 25.
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