Kangana Ranaut On Turning Producer: Directors Look Forward To My opinion, I Only Work On Collaborations

Kangana Ranaut describes her journey into production as a seamless transition. Her debut project, Tiku Weds Sheru, produced under her banner Manikarnika Films, is set to premiere on Prime Video India this Friday, June 23.

Although Kangana has directed Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, which was produced by Zee Studios, Tiku Weds Sheru, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur, is her maiden project as an official producer. This romantic comedy, helmed by Sai Kabir, reunites Kangana with the director after their collaboration on Revolver Rani in 2014.

In an interview with Punjab Kesari, Kangana spoke about the perception of women turning producers in the film industry. She highlighted that while male actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, and Akshay Kumar have been actively involved as producers in their films, it is often considered new when a woman takes up the role. “But when a woman does it, people feel it’s very new. My directors have always asked me to collaborate with them. They look forward to my opinion, because obviously I choose to work with only the people who’re collaborative,” she said.

In the same interview, Kangana shared insights into her collaborative process with director Sai Kabir on Tiku Weds Sheru. She revealed that she had personally worked on three drafts of the script, while Sai had contributed five drafts. “Even when we were collaborating on the music, I’d write three lines and he’d write three. When we went on floors, of course he’s a very equipped director since he’s done Revolver Rani in the past, but since I’ve been an actor on this film, I’d already conceptualised some scenes. And since Avneet is a new actor, I thought she won’t be able to do the very emotionally layered scenes. And as a man, Sai won’t be able to guide her in the best way. So that’s when I came on set and helped her out.”

Next, Kangana Ranaut will direct and produce Emergency, a political drama about the 1975 Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi. She will also star in the film alongside Anupam Kher, the late Satish Kaushik, Shreyas Talpade, Mahima Chaudhary, and more.