Kangana opts out of Anurag Basu's 'Imali', wants to focus on her own directorial venture

Basking in the success of 'Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi', Kangana Ranaut recently slammed the film industry for its ties of convenience, saying that her B-town colleagues weren't there to support her ahead of her movie's release, but always call her when they need her.

The 'Queen' actress said she strongly believed that the industry is ganging up against her as she spoke about nepotism. Ranaut had sparked the infamous debate in 2017 when she had called film-maker Karan Johar a 'flagbearer of nepotism' on his chat show 'Koffee With Karan'.

Elaborating she said, "These girls send me their trailers like Alia (Bhatt) sent me the trailer of 'Raazi' and said, ‘Please watch it’. For me, it was not a Karan Johar film or Alia film. For me, it was a film on Sehmat Khan, the girl who has given her everything to the country."

She added that she never receives the same support for her work, "I want to ask that whether Rani Laxmibai is my aunt? She is the iconic figure of this country so, why are they behaving like this? It's just because I talked about nepotism. They all have ganged up against me asking me why I have talked about nepotism."

But the star was clear to state that promotions by other actors won't benefit her films, "I have already won three national awards and at the age of 31, I have become a film-maker so who are they to promote me?"

Pay disparity across industries has been a gloabl topic of discussion. And Kangana too didn't shy away from speaking her mind when it came to wage gap in Bollywood.

Responding to some women in the industry saying that 'if actresses are unable to bring in crowds that a male star can, how can they demand equal pay', she said, "If we, as actresses, keep instilling this inferiority complex in girls, there is no hope for better times."

She went on to add that it was about the amount of work put into a project, as anyone's films can fail.

"Personally, my logic for remuneration has always been that I have 365 days to work, as much as any male star. An actor's pay must be determined by the amount of work s/he does. Your gender is no yardstick for it.

"The industry isn't just made up of four actors who have lasted through the decades. I might not have 30 years behind me. But in my 10 years, I've achieved significant milestones to demand a certain fee. Anybody's film can fail and this year has shown us enough proof of that. So, let's stop giving the opening (weekend) and closing logic.”

In 2013, Kangana Ranaut reportedly turned out a Rs 2 crore deal to endorse a fairness cream. Talking about taking a stand against unrealistic beauty standards set by cosmetic brands, the 'Tanu Weds Manu' actress told a national daily that ever since she was a kid, she never understood the concept of fairness.

"Especially, in such a case, as a celebrity, what kind of an example would I be setting for younger people? I have no regrets about turning this offer down. As a public figure, I have responsibilities.”

Kangana Ranaut's journey to the top hasn't been an easy one. The small-town girl moved to the city of dreams and went on to become of the finest actresses all on her own. Often speaking about the hardships she had to face, Ranaut has said that Bollywood didn't make it easy for her.

She once told a publication, "When I started out, I was treated like a dog. People in the industry treated me like I didn’t deserve to be spoken to and I was some unwanted object. I couldn’t speak English fluently and people made fun of me for that. So dealing with rejection became a part of life."

The only top-actress to have never worked with Shah Rukh, Salman or Aamir Khan, the 'Queen' star, said, "I have made my career out of leftovers and rejects of other actresses."