Here’s looking back at how Kangana Ranaut managed to rule 2017

Kangana Ranaut appeared twice on the silver screen in 2017 but she was on our timelines almost every other day.

As 2017 comes to a close and our timelines are flooded with numerous year end list listicles, we are drawn to reflect back on the year that passed by. The best movies, best actors, best TV shows, controversies that grabbed headlines, and many other lists of such nature have been cropping up on our news feed. Rajkummar Rao and his stellar performances, the debacle of Tubelight and Jab Harry Met Sejal and even the Padmavati row grabbed many headlines this year but the one celebrity who managed to stay in the news cycle with only two mediocre films was Ms Kangana Ranaut.

Kangana Ranaut had two releases this year, Rangoon and Simran. Vishal Bhardwaj and Hansal Mehta are both prolific filmmakers but somehow their films did not click with the audience this time.

Kangana started her year with the now famous “flag-bearer of nepotism” remark on Koffee with Karan when she was there to promote Rangoon with her co-star Saif Ali Khan. Her point was valid but the way she put it forth created quite a furore. Her unabashed attitude on the show proved that Kangana is not the one who could be intimidated but the debate did not end there. It was further fueled by Karan Johar’s statements and the back and forth between these two lasted for a few weeks.

The nepotism debate was still hot when Varun Dhawan, Saif Ali Khan and Karan Johar decided to mock the issue at the IIFA awards. Their humour was misinterpreted largely and so came another round of controversy. Open letters were written and like Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, this started the anti-nepotism movement and much like the former, even this did not yield any results.

Rangoon failed at the box office but Kangana’s performance was well received.

Still from Rangoon.

The actor then started shooting for the Rani Laxmi Bai biopic and was alleged by director Ketan Mehta that she stole his concept. Now no one really knows what really transpired between the two but this was a precursor to another controversy that was led by Simran’s writer Apurva Asrani. Asrani claimed that Kangana stole his writing credit and this resulted in another round of statements from crew from the film.

By this point, we started to wonder how, with only release in 2017 so far, does Kangana end up in the headlines over and over again?

Then she brought out the big guns at Rajat Sharma’s Aap Ki Adalat. What happened on the show needs no recap but let’s just say, for commoners who don’t know their stars personally, this was a long episode of Bigg Boss’ Weekend ka Vaar. Many revelations were made about her past relationships and Kangana came across as the ‘desh ki beti’ who was wronged by the big bad world of Bollywood.

All of this was before Simran’s release and surprisingly, the actor spoke more about her relationships than the film that was due for release.

Simran, unfortunately, failed to perform at the box office as well but Kangana’s credibility as a performer was not questioned and rightly so. What raised questions was Kangana’s capability as a collaborator.

Kangana Ranaut in Simran.

She had repeatedly pressed on the fact the male directors did not welcome her suggestions and it was now time for her to go out on her own. She wished to work independently because collaboration in films is a farce for female actors. Teju, her directorial venture was planned, but as per the actor’s latest interviews, it has been shelved for the time being.

It isn’t unusual for an actor to have two film releases in a year that did not do well but it is highly unusual that an actor manages to stay in the news and that too, not for her work. There are many who believe that unnecessary discussion about their personal affairs drives away the attention from their work but Ms Ranaut does not come from that school of thought. She believes in standing up for what she believes in and honestly, it’s completely her call. But a powerhouse performer of her calibre is a rarity. It is her talent that has resulted in her winning three National Awards so to see that her love life and quarrels with industry folk makes more news than what she is actually known for isn’t always pleasant for her fans.

The Queen of Bollywood got her crown because she earned it with her skills, but is she now just reigning because there is no replacement?