Happy Birthday Kangana Ranaut: Five fascinating facts of Bollywood’s Lady Superstar

Despite hailing from an ordinary background with no filmy connection whatsoever, Kangana Ranaut sweated it out in the showbiz world and roused to the top with her incredible talent, arresting beauty and captivating on-screen persona. In an eventful film journey spanning for close to 13 years, the Himachal Pradesh-born actress started off as a supporting lead and gradually developed into a star heroine who can carry the entire film on her shoulders and pull the audience into the theatre without depending on a bankable male lead.

Considered as one among the highest-paid actresses in the country, the ‘Gangster’ diva is a recipient of several prestigious honours which include three National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. Her latest outing ‘Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi’ which is also her maiden project as a director released to a fabulous response at the ticket counters with over a 100 crore in its kitty. Currently, Kangana Ranaut is shooting for Prakash Kovelamudi’s dark-comedy ‘Mental Hai Kya’ which focuses on the social stigma attached to mental illnesses. On her 32nd birthday, peep down for some of her fascinating facts.

In 2005, a casting agent took Kangana Ranaut to acclaimed filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt where she interacted with director Anurag Basu and got auditioned for the lead role in ‘Gangster’. Due to Chitrangada Singh’s unavailability, Kangana was finalised in the pivotal role of Simran, an alcoholic woman caught in a romantic triangle between a notorious gangster and a sympathetic friend. At just 18 years of age, she excelled in the complex character and bagged glowing praises for her solid acting chops and appealing beauty. The landmark role in her career came pretty early in the form of ‘Fashion’ (2008) which fetched her National Award for the Best Supporting Actress at just 22.

Born into a reputed family in Himachal Pradesh, Kangana Ranaut grew up in a joint family at their ancestral mansion in Bhambla. On her parents’ insistence, she initially decided to become a doctor; however, after a failed unit test in chemistry during her twelfth grade, she started to reconsider her career prospects. After gaining good recognition for her theatre performances in Delhi, she moved to Mumbai and enrolled herself for a four-month acting course. Despite struggling with meagre earnings during this period, she refused her father's financial assistance which led to a rift in their relationship, for which she later regretted.

Kangana hails from a typical Rajput household that thrived on meaty dishes almost regularly. However, she decided to give up eating non-veg after her big move to Bollywood. The ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ actress was also named the Hottest Vegetarian of 2013 by a global animal rights organisation. Speaking about the same in 2014, Ranaut said “Spiritually, being a non-vegetarian was blocking me. It was hard to leave and I won’t say that I don’t crave it, but you can do it with your will power.”

After doing four films in Hindi cinema, Kangana Ranaut went on to try her luck down south by signing a Kollywood film in 2008 titled ‘Dhaam Dhoom’. Starring Jayam Ravi as the protagonist, Kangana portrayed a village girl in this romantic-thriller. The very next year, she romanced Rebel Star Prabhas in the 2009 Puri Jagannadh directorial ‘Ek Niranjan’. Speaking about her relationship with the ‘Saaho’ actor, the ‘Queen’ belle revealed that they used to fight a lot and there was even a time when the two had a really intense argument and stopped talking to each other altogether. However, she went on to add that after watching ‘Baahubali’, she felt really proud of him.

In the media and Bollywood circles, Kangana Ranaut is credited as one among the most fashionable celebrities in the country. Right from an ethnic saree to a voluptuous bikini, she certainly knows how to pull off any attire with utmost grace. The blonde beauty is also a hot favourite among top designers to walk down the ramp as she always scores high on fashion meters. She is also known for expressing her honest opinions publicly and doesn’t think twice on reacting to any on-going issues happening in the nation. Have a great birthday, Kangana!