GIRL POWER! KANGANA AND ASHWINY

AHEAD OF THEIR BIG RELEASE—PANGA—IN JANUARY 2020, COSMO GOT THE WINNING DUO OF ACTOR KANGANA RANAUT AND WRITER-DIRECTOR ASHWINY IYER TIWARI IN THE SAME FRAME. FLIP THROUGH TO READ COSMO ED NANDINI BHALLA’S HEARTFELT CHAT WITH THE ACTOR ON LOVE, WHO THE REAL ‘KANGANA’ IS, LESSONS SHE’S LEARNT, AND WHAT 2020 HOLDS FOR HER. PLUS, ASHWINY REVEALS HOW SHE GOT INTO FILMMAKING, ON TEAMING UP WITH LIKE-MINDED WOMEN, AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE WORKING ON PANGA, WITH ITS BRILLIANT, FEMALE-DOMINATED CAST.

- NANDINI BHALLA

The Last time I Met Kangana Ranaut, it was on the French Riviera, where she had just finished walking the 71st Cannes Film Festival red carpet. It was her debut appearance, the stakes were high, and Kangana was committed to the sartorial cause—strolling out of the opulent Hotel Martinez at lunchtime in a black Sabyasachi sari and retro bouffant, then a heavily embellished Nedret Taciroglu jumpsuit on the red carpet, which made an easy impact amongst the vast sea of flossy gowns.

The Cosmo India team and I were there to photograph Kangana for our cover.

And, truth be told, we were not entirely sure what to expect.

The months before had seen the National Film Award winner in the centre of many a storm. There was the very bitter, very public feud with actor Hrithik Roshan. Then news channels began flashing bizarre accusations of Kangana practicing witchcraft on ex-boyfriend Adhyayan Suman. Followed by an ugly blame-game that broke out between Kangana and director Karan Johar when she accused him of being “the flag-bearer of nepotism”.

Kangana had acquired herself a reputation for being ‘fierce’, ‘feminist’, and ‘outspoken’. But also ‘difficult’ and ‘combative’.