Kangana Ranaut compares her stardom to that of Shah Rukh Khan, emphasising that, despite being ‘outsiders,’ both have made a significant impact in the industry.
Kangana Ranaut doesn’t mince words when speaking her mind or criticising Bollywood and her contemporaries. The actor, who is now also a BJP MP, is busy promoting her upcoming film Emergency, where she plays the lead role of India’s first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Kangana had previously labelled herself and Shah Rukh Khan as the “last generation of stars.” “These days, because of OTT, actors have more opportunities to showcase their talent. We are the last generation of stars, OTT doesn’t have any stars,” she said while speaking at the Times Now Summit earlier this year. Recently, the Queen actor elaborated on what prompted her to make such a statement.
While speaking on Raj Shamani’s podcast, Kangana said, “I think I said me and Shah Rukh because we are two outsiders (who have truly made it). Shah Rukh Khan comes from Delhi and who is not from the film industry.” She further spoke about the Pathaan actor’s shift from Delhi to Mumbai which might not seem like a significant transition, but it was still a remarkable achievement for an “outsider.”
Kangana also stressed that she and Shah Rukh, however, come from different backgrounds. “He became the top-most star. I come from the mountains. His mother was a magistrate, he could speak good English, he went to a convent school and to come from Delhi to Mumbai, it is not much of a difference no?” she highlighted.
Despite the two lacking parental support in their early careers (SRK lost his parents quite young), the difficulties she encountered were more pronounced due to her rural origins and age, Kangana noted. “But I come from a village and I am a girl and I came here as a teenager. So my journey is all the more difficult. Having said that, he also did not have parents so I draw parallels like that, but I think that’s about it,” added the actor.
The Kangana-starrer Emergency’s trailer was unveiled by its makers on Wednesday and offered a look at Indira Gandhi’s rise to power after the death of her father and India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The trailer shows her rise amid claims that she usurped power from her father. The film is all set to release on September 6.
