Kangana Ranaut says Chandramukhi 2 is the origin story; says she is a huge fan of Jyotika: ‘She once took my name…’

Reflecting on the film and her character, Kangana recently shared with The Hindu: “I am the original Chandramukhi. It’s an origin story which delves into who she is, and why she turned into a ghost.”

Regarding the possibility of comparisons between her and Jyotika, Kangana expressed: “I’m a huge fan of Jyotika and it’s an honour to be a part of a franchise she belongs to. A while ago, in an interview when she was asked about her favourite actress, Jyotika took my name; this was long before I signed this film. She’s such a generous person and an inspiration to me. All of us have inspirational characters as we grow up, and her role in Chandramukhi was one such iconic role.”

Kangana, who is making her return to the Tamil film industry after Thalaivii, highlighted the warm and engaging culture in South India, where people on set often sit and chat together without being glued to their phones. She contrasted this with Bollywood, where actors tend to return to their trailers after their scenes and don’t interact with each other.

“In my upcoming film Emergency (which she also directed), I asked my actors to stay back after the shots as it’s nice to have them all indulge in conversations. In the sets of Chandramukhi, it was a daily occurrence. They make a huge difference as the journey matters as much as the end result,” she added.

“I’ve not been a commericial heroine and I usually stuck to art films or women-centric films on our fights and struggles. But there comes a point in time where you want to try something new, and it’s wonderful to do a film with songs and dance sequences. The film’s climax is something you should look forward to,” the National Award-winning actor asserted.

Apart from Lawrence and Kangana, the film also stars “Vaigai Puyal” Vadivelu, Raadhika Sarathkumar, Lakshmi Menon, Srushti Dange, Mithun Shyam and Mahima Nambiar in key roles.

Helmed by P Vasu, who also directed the first film, Chandramukhi 2 will hit the screens on September 15.