Not wanting to look like a show-off,Kangna Ranaut locks away her 22 trophies in her cupboard How did you celebrate the National Award you recently won for Fashion?It wasnt anything hugeI was shooting on the day the winners were announced and my director Abhinay Deo called for a cake and champagne to celebrate. Later in the week,my father flew down from Dehradun to spend time with me. Would you call it your biggest achievement to date?My role in Gangster won me the Best Actress Award at the Asian Festival of First Films. I was competing against several big Indian and international names so that award is definitely my biggest achievement.I think it must be something in my kundali that I have won 22 awards in three years,which I have locked away in my cupboard because I feel that to have them on display is like showing off. So how much do these awards matter to you?Well,they definitely have helped change peoples perception towards me. When I was new in the industry I was lost because I wasnt accustomed to all the attention,glamour and independence. I felt like a child in a candy store. I didnt know how to deal with certain situations or with people and made my fair share of mistakes. At the same time,my work was being appreciated but I was still judged on the basis of peoples perception of me. So after a while,I stopped giving any explanations and kept at my work. These awards have helped put a lid on the gossip and let people focus on my work. So I know that if today,there are three people taking a call on the lead actress and I am one of the options,at least one of them will fight for me. Youve had your share of problems in the industry. Which phase was the toughest?I ran out of work for close to ten months after Woh Lamhe. I was offered some 25 films during the period,most of which were B-grade projects,and I had to decide whether I should take up work in order to survive and make money or choose my roles carefully. Thats when my friends advised me to be more visible and network within the industry. Then Fashion happened. Now,you have six films in the making and with each one of them you seem to have moved away from the image of a manic depressed woman. There is nothing wrong in having an image. But my question is how can anyone live their life looking the same? I want to do different kind of roles so I dont get bored. So right now I have six filmsNo Problem and Tanu Weds Manu are comedies,Once Upon a Time in Mumbai and Kites are dramas and Crooked and Knock Out are both thrillers. With so many films underway,I hope the audience doesnt get bored of me. Youve never done a typical dance routine till date but Kites has an apparently sizzling number.The track in Kites is a salsa number. I am a trained Kathak dancer and in fact,Id like to do a dance-based film. So I am not averse to dancing but I shy away from it in public. If I dance at the film parties,Ill be out of work in no time. These parties are very serious and,like any 22-year-old,I get boredit is attended by many old uncles who gossip about who is doing what in the industry.
