The RIGHT Choice

Kangna’s latest avatar as the I-mean-business Sia Agnihotri,the trouser and shirt clad investigative officer with a face sans makeup in the recently released Game,has fetched her accolades for a crisp performance. And though she is in far off Macau shooting for Indra Kumar’s Double Dhamaal,she is rejoicing in the positive feedback. “The role was my interpretation of how an officer might behave coupled with the director,Abhinay Deo’s vision. And what makes Sia more interesting is that the character was originally scripted for a guy,hence the usual trappings of romance,song and dance have been kept away,“ says the actress.

Kangna,who has consciously decided to focus on doing varied roles to prove that there is more to her than playing troubled characters like she did in Gangster,Woh Lamhe and Fashion,may not have scored as a bimbette in No Problem. But she did prove her versatility with a convincing portrayal of a headstrong girl who has a mind of her own in Tanu Weds Manu,and now as a stern police officer in Game.

Trade analyst Amod Mehra,who has followed her career carefully,says that the curly-haired actress had honed her craft over the years. “With every film,Kangna is improving remarkably as an actress. But the success of Tanu Weds Manu has upped her position in the industry,because when a solo heroine film is successful,the actress goes a few notches higher in the filmmakers’ eyes,” said Mehra.

Kangna,who relies on her instincts and the director’s vision while selecting a film,is described as a ‘very versatile and hardworking actress’ by the debutant Deo,and a ‘method actress who rehearses umpteen times for her portrayals’ by Mani Shankar who directed her in Knockout. Aanand L. Rai,who was at the helm of affairs in Tanu Weds Manu,says that more than her instinct,she needs to focus on a decent script and director while choosing a film. “That’s what brings out the best in her. Any filmmaker who wants to work with Kangna should know that she is a fearless and an extremely honest actor. She can give a brilliant shot,and at times she can give a bad shot too,but she can never be fake. There is a childlike eagerness in her which makes her a joy to work with,” said Rai about the actress.

Kangna’s constant experimentation with characters continues even today with David Dhawan’s Rascals wherein she will be seen seducing both Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt,as a happy-go-lucky New Yorker in Happy New Year,and in an action mode in Priyadarshan’s thriller Tezz. Recently she has also signed Ram Gopal Varma’s Department in which she will be seen playing a doctor. Varma,who describes her as one of the most intense actresses today,says that she is once again doing a complex role,in the film. “Abhishek Bachchan is an encounter specialist in the film,and she is playing his love interest. It’s ironical that while she saves lives,she loves a man who takes lives. I think she will do complete justice to the part,” said the filmmaker.

Even as the 12- film-old actress is rapidly honing her acting skills,at times there seems to be a tinge of regret as she is treated differently from the other artistes who belong to the industry. Does she still feel like an outsider after five years,and miss the sense of belonging that star kids have? “To be acknowledged,get work and be accepted is hard,but once filmmakers see that you love and enjoy what you are doing,and are doing it reasonably well too,everything gets sorted out,” she admits.

Kangna also seems to be at the centre of many controversies like landing up uninvited at Salman Khan’s party in Bangkok,trying to edge out Sanjay and Manyaata’s friend Ameesha Patel to get closer to the Dutts,and more recently laying down conditions for wearing a bikini in Rascals. Ask her how she reacts to being constantly in the news for these reasons and the leggy lass retorts. “Frankly,I am constantly surprised at what’s being reported about me,what I’m supposed to have done or said,or not done or said. I guess it’s part and parcel of being in this profession and you have to take it in your stride. As for refusing to wear a bikini,let me tell you that all the reports are incorrect. As of now David Dhawan has not even approached me to don a bikini,” she says a tad offended.

But her denials only prompt us to ask further questions. Was she really angry with mentor Anurag Basu for giving her a blink-and-miss role in Kites,the Hrithik Roshan starrer? And was that the reason she refused to be a part of his forthcoming film Barfee? Putting all speculations to rest,Kangna reasons,“Anurag and I are friends,who go back a long way. It was only natural to be disappointed with what happened to my part in Kites. So obviously I was apprehensive about doing Barfee since there were also other actresses in the film.”

geety.sahgal@expressindia.com