Kangana Ranaut recently announced her intention to run for public office. The 35-year-old actor from Himachal Pradesh said she is open to joining politics. “It will be great if people in Himachal Pradesh give me a chance,” Kangana said at an interview with a Hindi TV channel. 

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Who is Kangana Ranaut?

Kangana Amardeep Ranaut is an actor and filmmaker from India. Ranaut was born into a Rajput family on March 23, 1987, in the Bhambla (now Surajpur), Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district. Her father, Amardeep Ranaut, is a businessman, while her mother, Asha Ranaut, is a teacher. She has a younger brother named Akshat and an older sister named Rangoli Chandel who, as of 2014, serves as her manager. Her grandpa was a member of the Indian Administrative Service, while her great-grandfather, Sarju Singh Ranaut, served in the legislature. She was raised in a large family at their ancestral haveli in Bhambla.

Ranaut started modelling when she was sixteen years old, although only for a short while. She had theatre training from Arvind Gaur before making her cinematic debut in the 2006 movie Gangster, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her performances as emotionally complex characters in the dramas Woh Lamhe… (2006), Life in a… Metro… (2007), and Fashion… (2008) earned her recognition (2008). 

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She starred in the commercially successful films Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), but she was chastised for being stereotypically put in neurotic parts. Tanu Weds Manu (2011)’s humorous part was well-received, but it was followed by a series of fleeting, flashy roles in films that did not drive her career ahead.

Ranaut starred as a mutant in Krrish 3, one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2013. She went on to win two consecutive National Film Awards for Best Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama Queen (2014) and Tanu Weds Manu: Returns (2015), which was the highest-grossing female-led Hindi film at the time. This was followed by a string of commercial disappointments and a drop in stardom. Her single successful attempt during this time period was the biopic Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, which she co-directed (2019). Her performance as the titular warrior in it, as well as her role as a sportswoman in Panga (2020), garnered her a fourth National Film Award.

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Ranaut was dating Aditya Pancholi, who was married to Zarina Wahab. Ranaut was alleged to have made a police complaint against Pancholi in 2007 for physically abusing her while under the influence of alcohol.

Ranaut started with co-star Adhyayan Suman while filming Raaz: The Mystery Continues in 2008. The couple broke up the following year due to Suman’s insistence that he focus on his professional career. Ranaut was in a long-distance relationship with Nicholas Lafferty, an English doctor, from 2010 to 2012.

Hrithik Roshan, her Krrish 3 co-star, filed a case against Ranaut in 2016, accusing her of online stalking and harassment. Denying the allegations, Ranaut filed a counter-charge against Roshan, stating that his case was an attempt to conceal their affair for the sake of his divorce procedures. Due to a lack of evidence, the case was closed later that year.

Ranaut established her own production firm, Manikarnika Films, in 2020, where she serves as both a director and a producer. She is recognised for being outspoken and is considered one of the best-dressed celebs in the nation by the media. She has created controversy with her right-wing-aligned ideas and many conflicts in her personal and professional relationships.

She is well-known for her work in female-led films and has won multiple honours, including four National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She has also appeared on Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list six times. The Government of India awarded her the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2020.