She had just made her Bollywood debut. Her parents watched the film. And instead of talking about her performance, they asked who would handle the society’s questions.
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Actor and politician Kangana Ranaut has opened up about how her parents responded to her Bollywood debut film ‘Gangster’, saying their reaction left her hurt. She made these revelations while promoting her upcoming film ‘Bharat Bhhagya Vidhaata’, releasing on June 12.
Kangana’s family believed the film industry was influenced by underworld. It shaped their perception of her decision to enter Bollywood. She came from a conservative background in Himachal Pradesh and had no industry connections when she made her way to Mumbai. Her entry into films was not something her parents welcomed with open arms from the start.
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After ‘Gangster’ released in 2006, Kangana waited for her parents’ response. Her father did not give her any reaction at all. When she asked her mother, her mother said she was underage and that those scenes should not have been extracted from her. The response caught Kangana off guard. She had expected them to talk about her performance as a whole. Instead, the conversation became about a few bold scenes and about what society would think.
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Kangana said she was heartbroken that her parents perceived the film that way, because they were worried about what society would say. She asked her mother why those specific scenes were the only thing they noticed in the entire film. The hurt was not about disagreement but about feeling unseen as an artist. She had taken on a demanding debut role and felt her effort was reduced to a concern about social reputation.
After that experience, Kangana decided she would never again seek her parents’ review of her films, because they had never really seen films as an art form. She drew a clear line between what her parents could appreciate and what she was doing professionally. She did not hold a grudge but accepted that their world was simply different from hers.
Kangana contrasted two very different responses to her work. When Amitabh Bachchan sent her a letter praising her performance in Queen, she reflected on the difference between how he could appreciate the film and how her father could not. She said she did not blame her father because he is not an artist and his profession is different. The letter from Bachchan meant a great deal to her precisely because she had stopped expecting that kind of recognition from home.
The moment that finally shifted her parents’ perspective was not a box office hit or a critical rave. It was when Kangana received the National Award. She said that was the turning point for her parents. Getting an award from the President of India was something they could understand and take pride in.
Kangana won her first National Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fashion. She went on to win three more National Awards for Best Actress for Queen, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, and jointly for Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Panga.
‘Gangster’ released in 2006 and was produced by Mahesh Bhatt and directed by Anurag Basu. It starred Emraan Hashmi and Shiney Ahuja in the lead roles. Kangana played a supporting role in the film and was widely praised for her performance despite being a newcomer. The film gave her the first public recognition of her career.
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