Vi segnalo l'intervista concessa da Kangana Ranaut a Kersi Khambatta, pubblicata oggi da iDiva. I struggled for roles like crazy:
'“There is an almost non-existent cultural element to life in Himachal. There is no art, no theatre or music, not even a traditional dance that we can call our own. This hit me the first time I went to Chandigarh, just out of school; all of a sudden, from growing up among trades-people and agriculturists, I was surrounded by people who were studying art, music, theatre, stuff we had never heard about back home. Suddenly, my future options were no longer limited to science fields, law or accounting. I realised that there are a whole bunch of other things I can be, and all of those were way more attractive. I chose to act.”
But the parental reaction to that must have been formidable. “Of course it was. There were shouting matches. My father was rendered speechless. My mother thought I was possessed. Even my elder sister thought I was mad. That was the worst, most stressful period of my life. Today, I don’t know how I went through it all.”
You reckon you can see a little of the steel it must have taken a 17-year-old to stand her ground and take off to New Delhi against everyone’s wishes, to enroll in the Asmita Theatre Group run by veteran theatre director Arvind Gaur. “Theatre was my stepping stone to film.” (...)
According to Wikipedia, she was ‘spotted by Anurag Basu in a cafe and he offered her the lead role in Gangster (2006).’ Does this kind of stuff really happen?
“It’s rubbish. They cooked up this story because it sounds dreamy and filmi in itself. I struggled for roles like crazy. Agents would call us; there were all these same aspirants going around everywhere, to all the same auditions. I sat in queues, read lines like everyone else. And I got picked for Gangster.”
Was theatre not satisfying enough to continue? “My mentor, Arvind Gaur, told me that theatre in this country is only done to fulfill a passion; there is no money in it. If you want to be successful and make money, then films are the only way. I loved my time in [New] Delhi, although it was tough. I lived in a hostel, did a little modelling to support myself, although I was not very successful at it. The most favourable response I received was for my acting. Bombay just seemed the obvious choice after that.” (...)
Ask her about what these seven years in Bollywood have taught her, and she thinks. “More decisiveness about where I am going. More clarity where there once was only total confusion. My brain is less scattered. I would still love to do many things, paint, sing, but I think I’ll focus on acting for now.”
After playing trouble-ridden characters, (...) there was some serious need for comic relief. “Tanu Weds Manu was a treat to do. I still don’t know what I do best, but I’d had enough of the psycho-bitch roles. Comedy gave me a chance to learn new expressions”.'
