Kangana Ranaut Reveals Parents’ Reaction To Gangster Bold Scenes: ‘I Was Heartbroken’

Kangana Ranaut, who will next be seen in Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, recently opened up about the role awards played in giving legitimacy to her film career, especially in the eyes of her conservative family. In a conversation with Siddharth Aalambayan, the actress also recalled how her parents reacted to her debut film Gangster and its bold scenes.

Kangana Ranaut On Why Awards Matter To Her

When asked how much awards and appreciation boost her confidence, Kangana said they have mattered deeply to her because of the background she comes from.

She said, “Awards meant a lot to me. I come from a small village. The way my parents brought us up was such that if a colourful newspaper came home, they would throw away the glossy outer pages and read only

the inner newspaper. The outer pages usually had film actors on them, and those pages were only useful for wrapping coriander. They had no other purpose.”

Kangana said her family came from an academic and administrative background, and films were not looked at with much respect during her growing-up years.

She added, “My grandfather was the director of the Khadi Board, almost like an IAS-rank officer. My great-grandfather was an MLA. We all came from an academic background. So looking at colourful things too much or watching films was looked down upon. We are talking about the 90s and early 2000s, when the film industry was not considered a respectable place, especially because of its connection with criminal elements and the underworld. We would keep reading about the nexus with Dawood and all of that. That is what my parents were consuming, that the entire industry had come under the grip of the underworld.”

Kangana Says Her Parents Were Not Fully Okay With Her Film Career

The actress said that even after she became successful, her parents remained cautious about her chosen profession.

She recalled, “Even when I became successful, I told my mother to stay with me because I was so alone. She said, ‘Now you have to find yourself because it is like you have jumped into the ocean, and now you have to swim your way out.’ This is what my father told me. They were not very okay with whatever I was doing, but they were fine with the idea that I would do something on my own.”

Kangana On Her Parents’ Reaction To Gangster

Kangana then recalled how her father did not respond after watching Gangster, while her mother was disturbed by the bold scenes in the film.

She said, “After watching Gangster, my father gave no response at all. So I asked my mother, ‘Did you not understand anything? How did you find my film?’ She said, ‘No, in our society, you are so young, you are underage, and they made you do such scenes.’ I asked her, ‘Out of the entire film, did you only see those scenes?’ I was seriously heartbroken that this is how they perceived the film.”

Kangana said her parents were worried about social judgement and how people in their community would react.

She continued, “They were thinking, ‘What will society say? What kind of films is our daughter doing?’ After that, I decided that I would never expect any review of my films from my parents because they had never really watched films.”

Kangana On Amitabh Bachchan’s Letter For Queen

Kangana said she later understood that her parents could not be expected to view her work the way artists and film lovers did.

She shared, “When Mr Amitabh Bachchan sent me a beautiful letter about my performance in Queen, I realised that the way Mr Bachchan was going to perceive it, my father was not going to perceive it in the same way. I cannot hold a grudge against my father. He is not an artist. He comes from a world where people do hard, physical work.”

National Award And Padma Shri Changed Her Parents’ View

Kangana said her family’s perception began to shift after she won the National Award.

She said, “When I received the National Award, they were very happy. They felt that their daughter had been honoured by the President. That was a turning point for them. And after I received the Padma Shri, that became an even bigger turning point. They felt that even by doing such films, people can receive civilian honours, whether those films are about women empowerment or anything else.”

The actress said awards helped her work gain legitimacy among people who may otherwise have dismissed her profession.

She added, “Somewhere, I think even if you come from a conservative background, it is not necessarily a bad thing. Because then I was also like, I don’t want to do item numbers. I want to be worthy of my lineage. I questioned why I was being offered two-minute roles. I did not want to do a two-minute role with someone.”

Kangana Says Her Upbringing Shaped Her Choices

Kangana said her parents’ critical view pushed her to choose stronger roles and refuse to be diminished.

She said, “I am not saying anything is good or bad, but your surroundings definitely shape you. Whether it was because of my parents or not, they have been so critical of my work that I was always pushed to be in a place where I felt, ‘I am no less. You cannot demean me. You cannot make me feel small, whether it is you or your community.’”

She added, “That has pushed me to do roles about strong women, social reforms, or things like that. I am not going to do item numbers. I am going to wear what I want to wear, but I don’t want to do item numbers.”

Concluding her thought, Kangana said awards sometimes help underline the seriousness of an actor’s journey.

She said, “I think awards are sometimes good to punctuate certain things. Had they not been there, I am sure some people, maybe not in my immediate family, but others around us, would have kept gossiping. But because of my position and recognition, they understand that there is legitimacy to what I do.”