I hiked my fee by 50 percent after Queen: Kangana Ranaut

I hiked my fee by 50 percent after Queen: Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut is a free-spirited 27-year-old woman, who doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind. The actor, who recently revealed that she is dating someone, is hopeful about this new relationship.

Also, having gotten rave reviews for her acting prowess in Queen, Ranaut admits to seeing a metamorphosis in movies, as far as portrayal of women is concerned. In this interview, she also discusses remuneration, and why it is wrong to compare actors.

First things first — how is your love life looking?
My love life is exciting. When you’re in love, you kind of have to be sure about things that you make public. I hope it works out.

So, there is a man in your life.

There definitely is a man… not a woman for sure (laughs). Love is such a thing; it’s so special, so I hope I get in a position of talking about it in public.

Is marriage on the cards?

No. The kind of person that I am, it seems very tough for me to have an arrangement like that. I am looking for a companion and I’m hoping I will get my soulmate. I really value that ‘soul’ journey and this whole man-woman bond. I’m a very spiritual person, and more so when it comes to love. And that’s where my emotions as an artist are deeply-rooted. I think that’s why I’m considered to be (one of) the most sensitive actors. Apparently, the emotions that I express in my art are exceptional for today’s time and age.

With women-centric films doing well, can female actors finally command the same price as male actors?

I’m not the person who can comment on the business. I think kisi se compare nahi karna chahiye (one must not compare). Everyone knows their own worth. I can’t compare myself to anyone and say, ‘Okay, these guys charge so much, I will too’. They (other stars) have their own worth. After Queen, I’ve hiked my fee by 50 per cent. It doesn’t really matter how close it is to my counterparts. For instance, they say my male counterpart would be Aamir Khan, but how do I compare myself to him? His career spans over 25 years, he is in a different league altogether! Yeh saari baatein bolne ke liye hoti hain (these are all just talks for the heck of it). Every artist has his/her own journey. Now, if I get a good script, such as a biopic, they tell me, ‘If you are there, we’ll make it’. People are waiting for me now and I don’t have dates till 2015. And they are big film-makers who are saying that it’s okay and they will wait until 2015 end. So, that is my worth and my credibility now.

People are now queuing up outside your home with scripts.

I am shocked myself because for the first time in my life, people are ready to wait for me for over a year. People have taken my dates for 2016 . I’m a person who will immediately make up my mind and be like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go to Switzerland for two months’. I can see my life functioning in a different way. I can see that people are really dependent on me in so many ways. That is very flattering in a way, but very scary too. I was never faced with this before; not that I haven’t been part of successful films before, and it’s not that after Queen I didn’t have any failures. So it’s not just about success and failure… it’s about your own journey.

When was the last time you went to your hometown?

Not in a year, but I need to go back. I was supposed to go in September, but the shraad period started and mom told me to not come. I told her that I had kept the month free to come see the family, but then… (laughs). So I won’t be able to go anytime soon, but when we shoot the north India portion of Anand L Rai’s movie (Tanu Weds Manu sequel), I’ll make a short, quick trip. Manali is very close to Punjab, so I’ll go home and my parents will also keep coming.

How are your upcoming projects looking?

I think it’s very promising what I’m doing right now. Whether it’s Nikhil Advani’s next, or a double role in Anand L Rai’s movie, or even the film with Saif (Ali Khan), which is a love story. I haven’t done a love story, per se, in a while. And actually, these are all hardcore love stories.