7 Films That Made Kangana Ranaut the Star That She Is

She makes her own rules, doesn’t mince her words and chooses films which have her playing the central character. Kangana Ranaut is one of a kind and despite making a few wrong choices in life- both professionally and personally- the actress has managed to scale heights and win laurels for her work.

Hailing from a small town in North India, Kangana had zero contacts in the industry when she decided to work in films. A chance meeting with director Anurag Basu and filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt led them to cast her in her first feature film Gangster. At 17, Kangana played a woman torn between her lover and a sympathetic friend and showcased immense maturity while performing the role. The film made people sit up and notice the new girl – who despite unruly long curly hair, a strange accent, managed to make people notice her acting.

On her 30th birthday, here is a look at 7 of her best performances till date. The films not only helped Kangana to prove her worth in Bollywood but also made her the star that she is now.

Gangster: Kangana made her debut in this Anurag Basu film. All of 17, the actress showed immense maturity in playing the alchoholic, troubled Simran who is torn between her lover- a gangster on the run and a sympathetic friend- who ultimately betrays her trust. The film was a Box Office hit and also critically acclaimed. Kangana’s performance earned her Best debutant Filmfare award that year.

Woh Lamhe: In her second film, Kangana played a schizophrenic actress dealing with demons inside her. A tough role to enact, Kangana delivered a superlative performance of a scared, vulnerable, tormented girl.

Life In A Metro: Although it was an ensemble film which boasted of names like Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon, Dharmendra, Konkona Sen Sharma- Kangana held her own in the film. In love with her married boss, Kangana played Neha, who knows that the man she loves will never marry her.

Fashion: While Priyanka Chopra played the central character in the film, it was Kangana Ranaut who stole the limelight for her portrayal of a supermodel who loses everything due to substance abuse. The performance fetched her a National Award in the best supporting actress category that year.

Tanu Weds Manu: Tanuja Trivedi seemed like an extension of Kangana Ranaut. Anand L Rai’s film had the actress playing Tanu a brat who unwittingly gets drawn to the calm, sensible Manu despite rejecting him in the beginning. A fun film spanned over Lucknow and Kanpur, the film attained classic status for its humour, and for its performances.

Queen: Queen catapulted Kangana to the big league. A film about a young girl who goes on her honeymoon alone after her fiancé calls off their wedding at the last moment, the film highlighted how its important to love yourself and explore places on your own. A beautiful film that inspired many to go on solo trips, Kangana’s Rani struck a chord with one and all. She won Filmfare and National Award for this film.

Tanu Weds Manu Returns: Tanu and Manu came back on screen one more time with Kusum Sangwan as their third wheel. Kangana played both Tanu and Kusum with much ease. Both characters were strikingly different from each other yet Kangana managed to ace both of them, making Kusum a memorable character.