story is memorable NOT because of her affair with an abusive rapist Aditya Pancholi (technically, it is a crime to have sex with a 16-year-old), who prob- ably was a father figure to Kangana in many ways, but because of her rise from such horrifying situations. Without complaints or blame, Kangana abandoned her sordid affairs with such men, including one with miserable Adhyayan Suman, and egocentric Hrithik Roshan. To be fair, I did not talk to any of these people, but took time to carefully watch their interviews and read as much as I could, primarily because I wanted to be fair to all, well, as much as possible. However, the more I read and watched, the more I fell in love with Kangana. Roshan’s megalomania is obvious and Suman made me sick! To me, Kangana Ranaut emerged as a true hero. Like Raziya Sultan, the first female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in 1240 AD, who was maligned both polit- ically and romantically by those who hated her for being the first female Muslim ruler, Kangana too had to take the brunt of jealous and fallen exes. Her interview with Rahul Kanwal of India Today illuminated her brilliance in her growth both as an actress and as a per- son. It’s obvious that she is a well-read, global and open-minded individual who refuses to be “slut-shamed,” or “witch-hunted.” She considers such deprecation as part of life, yet refuses to succumb to pressure by Bollywood big- wigs without a fight. Kangana broke all hidden gender walls and came across as a compassion- ate, charismatic and a delightful human being. She embraced all the tags given to her with grace and elegance. When she was called a “whore,” she wore it like a badge of honor, as she knows how hard prostituted women work. When she was called a psychopath or a drug addict, she smiled and said she holds people recovering from such situations admirable, as she has explored their lives through her own characters. In doing this, she in one stroke gave hope, wings and pride to all those suffering from many conditions fighting for nor- malcy. She even raised up the issue of menstruation, elucidating many stig- mas that even young woman are fight-
despite excelling academically, she fol- lowed her gut and own starry dream. She was the topper in her school twice and even today her name adorns the wall of her former school in Bhambla, Himachal Pradesh. According to her teacher, “There was something special about her. She was a carefree and extremely ambitious, trait that you do not find in a lot of students.” (Business Standard) 2. Her Hard work and its payoff: Almost all directors who worked with her, including her first acting guru, Arvind Gaur of the Asmita theatre group, was taken in by Kangana’s inci- sive insights. According to Business Standard, during a production of Girish Karnad's Rakt Kalyan, when one of the male actors had an accident, she filled in for him with just 30 minutes of rehearsal. "She was a skinny girl, and when she volunteered for the part, peo- ple laughed; but she had been watching and learning everyone's lines,” her act- ing guru said. Writes Business Standard: “Such compliments flood from the industry when it comes to Kangana. Sai Kabir of Revolver Rani calls her the “sec- ond rebel” after Sanjay Dutt, and Vinay Sapru the maker of the flop film I Love New York , thinks she is“respectful …responsible, and finishes her work." Milan Luthria calls her a "chameleon" for slipping into any role while Kabir terms her "cheetah" for being the lone person in his unit to push for shooting in the dangerous Chambal instead of the safe and salubrious environs of a Mumbai studio. Kangana takes her roles personally, even accounting for her features like voice modulation and costumes. Before filming for Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, a film set in 1970s, she handed Luthria, the director, a folder full of references for hair, make- up and costumes, asking if she was on the right track.” 3. Her Personality: Kangana acknowledged in an inter- view with Barkha Dutt recently that she had to change herself to make a name. Her journey from being a gawky, trust- ing 16-year-old to a mature, insightful, three-time National Award winner has definitely not been easy, especially since she is an outsider to the industry. Her
ing around the world
Read the article on period stigma here by Sindhu Ravuri: http://www.dailycal.org/2016/04/29 /period-stigma-weekender/ Watch Kangana interview to India Today here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 958EmtZWETA Kangana asserts that making mis- takes in life should not be a big deal. The big deal should be about moving on from there and creating new goals, climbing harder peaks and inspiring others to do the same. I wish more young women (and men) became like her: I wish that they became truer to themselves with every passing day; I wish that they take flights of fancy and are never scared of rising in love every time, even after a fall; I wish they don’t commit suicides like young Jiah Khan and Pratyusha Bannerjee did, but take life as a precious gift. If a Rahul Kanwal of India Today looked half enchanted by this Queen, if Barkha Dutt of NDTV loves to associate herself to Kangana as a strong woman with the word “we,” if Vidya Balan and Amithabh Bachchan are rooting for her, if Nike Shoes wants to make her their ambassador for their campaign for women, if editorials from Indian Express to Business Standard are writ- ing open letters in support of her and if Bollywood in general remains silent about her, thus giving mute support to her, it is because Kangana made sure that she deserves it. In her own words, her journey has not been from Juhu to Bandra in Mumbai (like many star kids’), but from a remote village in Himachal Pradesh to Rashtrapathi Bhavan (President’s House). It was a unique, strong, lonely, delightful, sad yet inspiring journey – and it has always has been an upward graph, in spite of a Hrithik Roshan or an Adhyan Suman! She definitely made the best of it!
64 indiaparentmagazine.org Summer Camp Special 2016
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