The Director Who Turned Kangana Down

'I desperately needed that job then, and it didn't happen.'

Kangana Ranaut has revisited a formative moment from her early days in the film industry, recalling how Salman Khan once encouraged her to meet filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, calling her 'a Sanjay Leela Bhansali heroine'.

Speaking to ANI in a recent interaction, Kangana shared a detailed account of the meeting that took place when she was still struggling to find her footing in Mumbai.

"When I was struggling in my very early days, you know, I met Salman through somebody. and I was hardly like 16, 17. Gangster hadn't happened. He said, 'She is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's heroine.' He said, you should go and meet Sanjay Bhansali," she recalled.

Recalling the Bhansali Meeting

Calling it a "very big compliment", Kangana added that Salman's suggestion led her to approach Bhansali with her portfolio.

"That particular day, I went to Sanjay sir and I had my portfolio. I went to Sanjay sir's house, and his mother was also there. I said, 'sir, Salman sir has sent me.' He went through the pictures and was looking at my face. He's like, 'you look different in every picture. What is your face like? If we straighten your hair, you look different. If you put a wig, you look different'," she recalled.

Kangana noted that the filmmaker did not sign her at the time.

"He didn't obviously sign me. He actually meant that maybe if you make it, you'll know," she said, reflecting on the encounter.

She added that Bhansali later acknowledged the missed opportunity, saying, "Now, whenever Sanjay sir met me, he always remembered that I wish I had listened to Salman."

When asked if she takes satisfaction in such hindsight, Kangana responded candidly, "No, because that moment is gone. I desperately needed that job then, and it didn't happen."

She further revealed that after the success of Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Bhansali had approached her for a song in Ram Leela, which was eventually performed by Priyanka Chopra.

"He said, 'you should do this song'. I said, 'sir, I don't want to do item numbers'. He kind of didn't like it," she said.

Lessons from Early Setbacks

Reflecting on her journey, Kangana emphasised that early setbacks shaped her career.

"I always say, it's good when you get something, but if you don't get it, it's better. You learn how to make it work even without that opportunity," she said, adding that not receiving validation early on pushed her to evolve as a filmmaker and writer.

The actor, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, made her debut with Gangster (2006). A four-time National Award winner and Padma Shri recipient, she currently serves as the MP from Mandi.

Kangana Supports Deepika Padukone on Work Hours

Kangana came in support of Deepika Padukone after the actress parted ways with big-budget movies, allegedly due to a lack of fixed working hours.

Last year, Deepika found herself in the middle of a heated debate after her abrupt exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Spirit over working conditions, including a request for an eight-hour workday.

She reflected on how work-life balance evolves with time and experience. She recalled the time when she and Deepika pushed themselves through long, demanding shifts driven by ambition and the desire to succeed.

"I don't think an issue should be created out of this because if you see where she (Deepika Padukone) is coming from, she has earned that place. She has a daughter, she's a mother now, and the topmost actress. If today she is keen to work for eight hours, she has earned it," Kangana says.

"Deepika and I, when we were together, she said that they were working on Imtiaz's film or something. She said, 'We have a 12-hour shift.' In response, I said that I work for only 10 hours. She's like, you know, that's amazing. So there was a time when we wouldn't settle for anything less than 12-14 hours because we were ferocious. We wanted to be successful and wanted all these things."

The actress shared her thoughts on the initial struggles of actors in the film industry, where they face a higher likelihood of being replaced by other artists. She also criticised the societal pressures that require women to balance intense work demands with family responsibilities.

"You know, when you're new, you're coming up, and you are replaceable, your place is different. She (Deepika), being where she is, she's a mother, she's got a family to look after. She's also earned that place where people are going to say that, wait a minute, I want her, and it's okay if she comes for eight hours because we'll work around her time. So why not?

"And I think all the talk about fertility rate, and marriages collapsing, and all of it, what are we doing? We are putting so much pressure on our women. We are making them work double the amount now with the children."

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff