Oh dear. Kangana is not very good at not talking, is she? Sometimes reading these quotes I just want to reach through time and space and slap my hand over her mouth and tell her “STOP. TALKING!”
News broke just a few hours ago that Sonu Sood is no longer part of Manikarnika. And “sources” immediately started saying it was because he was sick of taking orders from Kangana. Sonu’s people and the producer immediately started doing damage control in lockstep, saying it was simply a date issue, Manikarnika is running ridiculously late and he had to finish Simmba. Here is Sonu’s statement (all of this from the indianexpress here):
Sonu has always been a thorough professional and honoured all his commitments. He had informed the makers of Manikarnika about his dates and schedule well in advance. Inconveniencing the team of his current film, to accommodate the demands of another are against his professional principles. Sonu has taken the higher road ahead and wishes the team of Manikarnika all the best.
And the producer Kamal Jain issued this statement:
Our team is totally focused and dedicated to finish the patchwork shoot to complete the film on time as our release date of 25th Jan 2019 is set in stone. The post production and VFX is going on in full swing and as well as the balance and patch shoot. I have utmost respect and love for Sonu and he is like family to us. With a heavy heart, we have mutually decided to part ways due to his date unavailability. He is a thorough professional and have his dates committed to Simmba which is also releasing in December. I would love to work with him in the future again.
Neither of these statements are necessarily “true”, but they are coordinated and they make everyone come out looking good. Sonu is not badmouthing Manikarnika, he doesn’t want to damage the film. And Kamal Jain is not badmouthing Sonu, he doesn’t want to damage his career. Maybe they hate each other in reality, but that personal feeling should be kept separate from public statements, it’s not worth hurting someone’s career or a film’s prospects over. And clearly however they feel in reality, the teams got together and agreed on a cover story that everyone will stick with
And actually, reading Kamal Jain’s statement, he went above and beyond and actually into praising Sonu. Making sure Sonu came out of this not just undamaged, but actually looking good. Dropping out of a film is a big deal, it is the kind of thing that can end your career because it is so damaging. Kamal Jain is careful to make it absolutely clear that there is no ill will on their part, they do not blame Sonu, and they think he was perfectly justified in his decision.
And then there’s Kangana. Who did not stick with the cover story, did not issue a short statement, and definitely did NOT keep it impersonal and professional. She kept it long, overly detailed, and personal.
Sonu and I haven’t even met since the last shot with Krish (director) last year. He is busy filming Simmba. He couldn’t even give us tentative dates to match combinations with other actors. The producers showed him the film and writers narrated the patchwork to him. He refused to meet me. He vehemently denied to work under a woman director, which is kind of amusing because Sonu is a dear friend and I have even launched the music of a film that he produced at his request. Even though the team suggested that they have full faith in me, it seems, Sonu had neither dates nor faith.
So, first, she is saying Sonu refused to work under a woman director. Which is a terrible thing to say about a person. And also odd, since he worked very happily and cheerfully under Farah Khan just a couple years ago. And she is saying he is a dear friend right after saying this horrible thing about him?
(Oh yeah, clearly uncomfortable with a woman director)
And when I last spoke to him, he suggested that I can go ahead with someone else and when I narrated the script to Zeeshan Ayyub, he called the studio and gave the dates. By that time, it was too late as Zeeshan gave me dates for September. Now I hear I had a showdown with him. When I never met him, never directed him, when did I have this showdown?
She starts out “when I last spoke to him” and ends “when I never met him, never directed him, when did I have this showdown?” Well, maybe it was when you last spoke and he ended by saying “just get someone else in the film!” That sounds like a showdown to me. Also, this is reminding me of the feeling I got on her Koffee episode, that she was saying these terrible things and I, a viewer at home, could see from the body language of the people there that they were miserable and uncomfortable with her (Saif was practically falling off the coach in his effort to sit far away), and Kangana seemed completely unaware of how they were feeling. Pure speculation, but perhaps what Kangana saw as a reasonable interaction was what Sonu saw as the last straw.
One more thing, I never asked anyone to put my name on clapboard it’s AD’s business. Person on the floor is in charge, is answerable for many things that must have been the idea but constant attacks while I am going through a difficult phase is not acceptable. I am just a slave in Manikarnika‘s hands I am doing this only for her. I have made it clear to everyone”
Oh my gosh! I have resisted criticizing Kangana for playing the victim, because that is a dangerous critique to put out there in the world. But, really???? “constant attacks while I am going through a difficult phase is not acceptable”. You are a public figure! People are just asking about your next film! That’s a reasonable question and it is part of your job to respond to it! It doesn’t matter if you are going through a difficult phase, that doesn’t mean the world has to align itself around you. Akshat in the comments just mentioned that Krish, the original director, is going through a divorce. That’s a difficult phase! Sonu Sood broke his leg and still promoted his movie. That’s a difficult phase! What difficult phase are you going through? And maybe, if you want us to sympathize, you should tell us about it in detail instead of turning it around on other people. And also, “constant attacks”? Where? How?
(Still cheerful from the hospital)
About reshooting Sonu Sood’s portions in the film, Kangana said, “Yes, none of the portions he has shot before will be used because he has spiked hair with gel. So, the new team of DOP, editors and our writers of Manikarnika have discarded those scenes. I have to shoot all of that anyway. So, it’s easy to get another actor on board. Who keeps spiked hair for a period film?”
The Manikarnika actor also revealed that Sonu decided to incorporate a few Kushti scenes which were never there in the script earlier. The actor said, “He himself wrote his scenes of Kushti like Dangal which were never in the script. He and director shot a lot of stuff which was never in the script and writers discarded those. Is it my fault? Am I writing the film? He wanted the producers to retain the kushti portions as he made the body for it for 4 months. How did I know that is happening behind my back. When writers saw the film, they said they don’t want it.”
Well, this is really shocking. What she is talking about here, is that Sonu had a look and a style for his character, discussed it with the director, shot it with the director, and now Kangana is throwing it out. And yes, it IS her fault because she is the one saying it needs to be discarded. The director is the captain of the ship, the writers don’t get final say on these things. That’s ridiculous. If Sonu showed up for work, did what his boss asked, and finished his job and left, then he did nothing wrong. Kangana is the one coming in later and saying “no no, I think it should be another way”. And she’s not, like, the vice president of the company boss of the boss coming in and saying it. She’s Sonu’s co-worker coming in and disagreeing with the boss’ decisions until the boss quits, then firing Sonu just because he went along with the plan of the previous regime.
Oh, and the “writers” she is talking about? Officially they are K.V. Vijayendra Prasad, who wrote Bahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Mersal and Eega and Magadheera. I don’t think he is a slave to historical accuracy if the director has a vision for the film. And I also really don’t think he has the time to hang around with Kangana giving scene by scene notes on a script he wrote and handed over years back. The other writer is Prasoon Joshi, head of the censor board who DEFINITELY doesn’t have time to do that. And probably ethically couldn’t anyway. So either Kangana is lying completely, or is calling “writers” some random people hanging around on set giving opinions on the 500th draft of the script. And they certainly shouldn’t have the write to override a decision made by the director and an actor.
And she says it’s happening “behind my back”??? What back? What behind? You shot your parts, Sonu shot his parts. If you wanted to give your input, you should have been on set for his shoot. He doesn’t have to wait for you to be present to do his scenes, not unless you are actually directing the film and have been all along. And if that’s the case, how would he know that if he was signed for the film with Krish as the director, not you?
Also, who is Kangana to say that Krish shot those scenes wrong? Her criticism is specifically related to period drama. She has been in one period drama which was a massive flop. Krish has directed 2 already, one of which won a National Award. I think he can be trusted to know what kind of hair makes sense and when to let an actor improvise their lines.
Speaking of the improvisation, Kangana has talked soooooooooo much about how she likes to write her own lines and work with the director to build her character and so on. But Sonu can’t be given the same courtesy? When he does that, all his scenes have to be cut?
Oh, I also looked up, because I was curious, how Krish ended up on this film to begin with. Ketan Mehta was supposed to direct, and dropped out last minute. Then Krish was brought in. And Kangana was already saying this would be her last film as an actress, she really wanted to direct. Krish was asked about that and responded:
Whatever happens on the set will be in the best interest of the film. Ideas from everyone will be incorporated. Kangana is a clever girl who understands filmmaking. She is one of the finest actresses in the county and I’m sure she will be a great director too.
So, from Kangana’s perspective, I guess you could say that since the beginning the press has been implying she will be directing the film and attacking her. What I am seeing is that Kangana was making big claims about being a director at the same time that Ketan Mehta got scared off the project. So there were trouble signs very early on. And now a second director has left, and one of the most easy going stars in India, and the producer is siding with the ones who left, not Kangana. None of this is good.
dontcallitbollywood 
Kangana is so self-destructive. I have no idea what she stands to gain from constantly picking fights with everyone and causing controversies. In this case, the entire film is now in jeopardy, the budgets will rise astronomically, and there will be so much bad press. The likelihood is that it will flop and lose money and ruin her own standing too.
She gained nothing from all the Hrithik craziness either. Now she’s giving indications that she wants to be a politician which oddly enough will probably work out for her. With how much she lies, manipulates, and is ever so willing to step into controversies, it may be the perfect career for her.
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“. . . none of the portions he has shot before will be used because he has spiked hair with gel.” — Did I miss something? What does hair gel have to do with it?
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Exactly!!!!! I guess Kangana thinks it doesn’t look historically accurate enough? But kind of late in the game to make these big changes just because of a hairstyle.
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And she is saying this like this was Sonu’s idea to put gel on his hair. I’m really angry, because Sonu succeeded thanks to his hard work, professionalism and being a good person, and she is talking about him like he would be some stupid newcomer, who doesn’t know how the movies are done.
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Exactly! He did his job, he followed the director’s orders, and now she is trying to insist on reshoots of scenes that were okayed while he has already moved on to his next movie. And blaming him for it instead of acknowledging that she would be asking him a favor.
And really, gel in the hair? How does she think movies are made? You can’t exactly recreate history and then film it, you look at history, and then figure out how to best recreate it FOR A MOVIE. It could be something as simple as “for continuity, we need your hair to look the same in every shot since we are filming a 5 minute conversation over the course of 5 days. So we are using gel in your hair”. Is she not wearing make-up? Or washing her hair every day? Or any of the other things that make you look good on a day to day basis for a film?
And her other criticism seems to be implying that he wanted to do additional scenes to show off his body. I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have discussed that with the director. He was in Jodha-Akbar and never took his shirt off, disappeared into the character. He was in Happy New Year, and showed off his muscles constantly. He does what the director wants. And Kangana is making him sound like a vain guy who wanted to look like a male model and ruined her movie, and is too shallow to let a woman direct him.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 10:28 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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The more I think about it the more I’m angry. Good for Sonu that he is out of this sinking movie.
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OMG this Manikarnika will be such a mess, if it will be finished ever.
I thought this movie was almost ready, just the last things were lacking, and that’s why Kangana was helping, but seems that there is still a lot of work to do. And everybody is running away, like from sinking ship.
And for Kangana, I don’t think somebody will want to work with her now. First this crazy story with Hrithik, then Simran fight, and now this. I love her as an actress, but I would never hire her in my movie.
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You know the funny thing is, they keep saying she is shooting “patchwork” shots. I don’t think that’s actually a term? I think that’s just something they made up because it sounds better than “reshooting”? But Sonu Sood is a biggish name, if they are redoing his character, that is way more than just finishing it up. That’s actually changing the movie. I can’t imagine what the end result will be.
Kangana already has two movies lined up after this, and I’m shocked. I didn’t even think she would get this movie after the way she went wild on the Simran promotion tour. And now she has the Rajkummar film and Panga by the Bareilly Ki Barfi director lined up.
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She’s kind of like a Hollywood star that way. She’s extremely difficult to work with and probably diagnosably mentally ill but still popular and a unique talent so people will put up with her. I’m fascinated that Rajkummar is willing to work with her and Maddy has worked with her twice. As crazy as she is, she has something that is making them willing to return to a set with her.
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Thinking of the Hollywood measure, it seems like the real tipping point there is often when the film becomes uninsurable. People still want to cast the talent and work with her/him, but the insurance companies won’t accept the risk to the film and therefore he/she can’t be hired. Sharon Stone, Robert Downey, Jr., I am sure there are others I’m not thinking of. And then you have to work on small films and try to get your probability rate of success back up so you can work on the big films again. I don’t think Indian films routinely get insurance in that way, so I guess there is no one to say “no”. So long a producer is willing to roll the dice on their investment.
I am interested that her upcoming films are very small and cheap ones. So if you look at it from a pure financial risk point, they are gambling on her but only gambling a little bit of money instead of betting the house, like Zee did with Manikarnika.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 10:20 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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What is her fan base like? Does she have one? Are there women fans the way Priyanka has young women as fans?
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I think so. She’s very internet-popular. She did a popular spoof video, she does quotable interviews, stuff like that. And the government really likes her, which is always nice for your film to have. There’s a kind of overlap of feminist and lower class support, thanks to her speaking out against powerful men. At least, based on the internet. I have no idea what her fanbase is like on the ground, she’s had as many flops as she has had hits, so certainly her name alone isn’t enough to open a film. But her name plus really good content can. Which leads to the question of “what about really good content without her name?” which we can’t really answer. I’ll be curious about Manmarziyan because Taapsee is taking what feels very much like a “Kangana” kind of role, I want to see how a film does without Kangana in the Kangana role.
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I’m so angry with Kanagana for all this bad stuff she is talking about Sonu that I even wanted to tweet something about it, and that way I discovered that there are some ppl who blindly support her.
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You got me curious enough to go on twitter (the horror!!!!). And yes, there are some people tweeting support. But they seemed fairly low? Compared to what it could be? And there were industry writers, like Faridoon, who are saying the same thing we are saying, this seems like a pattern with her and seems terribly unfair to put such stuff on Sonu. So, I don’t know, maybe the tide is turning. At least away from blindly supporting her as a beacon of feminism.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 4:21 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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There is a proverb: Pride will have a fall. I think Kangana is a pride woman which can be a strength but also a weakness. The way she talks about Sonu Sood leaving shows weakness, hopefully for all other people concerned she will also show strength.
And even being signed for two new movies doesn’t mean that she has the job…
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Yeah, I am wondering your last point also. The Panga movie just released a teaser image along with the announcement, which would make it noticeable if Kangana was dropped. But maybe they will just quietly not make the movie after all, instead of doing a last minute casting change that would make a lot of waves. The Rajkummar movie I think is already completed, they just have to keep her off the promotional tour if they are worried about her.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 11:19 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Do you think perhaps BW is suffering from not having enough lead actresses? There must be a reason why she keeps getting work despite her attitude and behavior. She mainly works with smaller producers and directors who may not have access to other A-list actresses. Regardless of all her problems, Kangana is a known name and lesser financial risk than hiring someone new to the industry.
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I think the simple reason she keeps getting work is that she’s extremely talented.
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She’s talented but it’s not like others aren’t. She also has an accent issue so there are roles that she doesn’t fit. However, none of her bad behavior seems to have consequences.
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Her behavior (so far as we can tell from this distance) seems to be erratic. Possibly depending on if the director knows how to handle her? Or if there is something about the film that speaks to her? And it also seems to be perhaps recent behavior? I don’t remember hearing these kinds of stories from other sets before Simran.
But it is frustrating if you think of it in terms of, for instance, Swara Bhaskar or Patralekha Paul or Kirti Kulhari. Or Parvathy. Who are also very talented, and have no stories of onset difficulties, but are not getting these roles. Yes, they don’t have the name recognition Kangana does, but at some point it seems like the potential drama would off-set the name recognition.
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Agree. The star heroines like Alia, Deepika, Kareena, Katrina choose to work with big production companies, & known directors only. Anushka does give opportunities to first time, new talents but on a limited scale maybe? Vidya seems to have cut down on working. Kangana fits the bill for smaller, artsy directors who wants to tell good stories but also need a star to make an opening. Nayantara is a parallel in Tamil who takes up content driven, low budget films with new directors , only she doesn’t swallow the projects & directors but works with them to use her star status to ensure max reach for the film. Her last three such films were successes & more’s to come. A win situation for everyone involved & the biggest winner is the star herself who has the best of scripts & directors waiting on her & she’s not even that good an actress like Kangana.
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Excellent point. Rajkummar and Ayushmann seem to be doing that from the male side, working with small productions and smaller production houses and experimenting, despite being names the audience knows and faces they recognize, but I don’t know if there is someone from the female side doing the same thing. Vidya is the closest I can come up with, but like you said, she isn’t working that much any more.
Weirdly, there’s also Shraddha. She works a lot and in a variety of films. And I have hopes for Kriti, she just needs one or two more movies and people will know who she is too.
On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 8:20 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Did we just solve the mystery of why Shraddha keeps getting interesting films despite a noticeable lack of talent? Is it something as simple as being approachable & willing to work with/for a filmmaker who is yet to make a mark? Something which Parineeti should have been doing. Also thinking if Kriti or Shraddha will maintain the approachability stance once they hit the big leagues or be happy in just being associated with big films & bigger names.
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Taapsee has certainly benefited from it as well, she does well in her movies, but a lot of her roles feel like she is getting them simply because she says “yes” and then works hard.
On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 10:07 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I was thinking the same thing, that tapsee is the new generations kangana, even in career arc. And maybe being promoted to replace kangana for both generations.
The extreme lack of social understanding and cues, combined with the fearless approach to life and career and quotable quotes, combined with lack of shame when breaking social taboos (like affairs with other women’s husbands, and even calling those women for help), to me all speak to Aspergers, high functioning Autism, or lying somewhere “on the spectrum”. It’s not that she’s brave and overcomes, it’s that she doesn’t experience fear or boundaries or intimidation or self doubt as others do. The KWK interview is a perfect example, so is her ascent from poor mountain village girl to star.
It makes me feel bad, sad, and worried for her. I can’t be angry with someone with such a condition., but I’m worried that others are.
It speaks more broadly to if and how we want to change society to accommodate the mentally differently abled, so that both they and we benefit.
It would be great if one could start a job saying “I’m diagnosed HFA”, and still get the job, and the roles and responsibilities shift to account for that. So for example, kangana should clearly not be assigned to speak to the press about the film, any more than a Tourettes patient would. Or better yet, someone being HFA should be as easy to declare to society, and as easily understood by society, as someone saying they are gay or male or introverted, and it should be society who can easily filter out kanganas statements to the press, rather than judging her as one would someone not on the spectrum, again just as one would ferret out expletives yelled involuntarily by a tourettes patient.
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I’ve been turning over the idea of Kangana and Aspergers for a while as well, since Hrithik first mentioned it as something he was told in confidence by her sister and part of the reason he continually excused her behavior.
To me, it doesn’t quite fit. My understanding is that having Aspergers, or Autism, doesn’t mean that you don’t care about other people’s feelings, it just means that you have a harder time seeing and understanding them. Kangana seems capable of understanding the standard set of emotions that people have, she uses them in her performances and in the way she phrases her public statements, but does not seem to care how her actions affect others. Even if she is unaware of social cues and misreads them, I would expect her to then feel terrible and unhappy and so on once it becomes clear that her actions were misunderstood. That “not experiencing fear or boundaries or self-doubt” feeling does not match with my understanding of Aspergers or autism. It’s more not being aware of when you should experience those things, and then suddenly becoming aware and feeling horrible, and constantly filled with fear and self-doubt because you aren’t sure when you might fall into that situation without realizing it again. I had a fascinating conversation with a friend of a friend at a party a few years back, he had Aspergers (which he told me up front in the way you described) and then we talked about it for a long time. And he constantly checked with me to make sure I was still interested, he wasn’t talking to much, etc. etc. He was very concerned that he was missing a social cue and unintentionally making someone else uncomfortable, because he had had a lifetime to learn that was a possibility and he couldn’t control it, and he was a sensitive person who didn’t like the thought of others being unhappy. Certainly Kangana has had plenty of opportunities to learn how her actions effect others, and she does not seem to care about it, or has chosen to modify her behavior in response.
To me her behavior feels narcissistic. Not in a pathological way, just in a run of the mill (but slightly more extreme than usual) kind of way. Everything that happens, is about her, her feelings and desires are always more important, and to not give into what she wants is the worst thing you could possibly do.
If I were to suspect a mental health issue, I would lean more towards either manic behavior (so caught up in your own mania that you no longer notice anything else around you) or schizophrenia (delusional, and with a lowered ability for emotional development and connection). There is also borderline personality disorder and schizoid personality disorder. All of which have as part of their symptoms a difficulty forming healthy attachments with others, and a lack of concern for the feelings of others. Which are not (I think) part of the Aspergers spectrum. Although they can look superficially similar and (the internet tells me) can make diagnosis difficult where there is an overlap of the two.
Now, if I were to pick someone in Hindi film who might have a slight case of Aspergers, I would land on Aditya Chopra. Deeply sensitive and loving but also very slow to form attachments and unlikely to make new friends. And reluctant to face social situations. Tends to do best when he has a clear plan for the situation and a job in it, not so well when it is free-flowing. Avoids the media at all costs, avoids any discussion of his emotions.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 6:35 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Based on what I’ve noticed on Twitter, Kangana gained a lot of fans around 2015. Basically after the success of both Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Plus a lot of people started supporting her in the Hrithik issue. She also got a lot of support for calling out Karan Johar on nepotism in the industry. I’ve only noticed people to start to turn on her once she started supporting Modi and the government. But she still seems to have a lot of fans.
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Thanks! I was trying to remember when I first noticed her. I’d been aware of her since Gangster, after I friend told me how amazing she was in it. the first movie I saw her in was Once Upon a Time in Bombay, and she was good in that, but not spectacular. And then I guess I didn’t see or think of her again until Queen. Sounds like that’s kind of how it was for everyone? She was a good actress, one of many, but you didn’t really think about her before Queen came out.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 7:31 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Exactly! She was just another actress and then became a star with Queen. Then Tanu Weds Manu Returns came and the fanbase kinda grew.
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I remember seeing a bunch of Kangana fans around the time of Katti Batti saying that Kangana will make the film a hit even though Imran Khan is a flop actor because she’s the only female superstar in the country.
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Interesting! She did have a little string of flops right after TWMR and Queen. Which can happen to anyone, no judgement on her, but it does kind of show that maybe her stardom isn’t as big as it is made out to be.
On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 12:51 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Since I first saw Kangana in Queen, I have not liked her. There was just something. I think I equate her to your feelings for Randeep Hooda. There is just something there that I don’t like at all.
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So none of this crazy behavior is unusual. That is who she is.
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Part of it is her lying and her manipulation and what seem to me to be her vicious attacks on fellow actors.
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Yes, I just mentioned in another comment “narcissism”, and that feels right I think? there is a kind of attitude of “I am clearly the most important person in the world and you should all agree with that”. Her public statements tend to be about how things are affecting her and there is no concern for how what she is saying might affect others.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 10:39 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Interesting! I love/loved her in Queen, but I know what you mean about there just being something you don’t like about a person.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 10:36 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Man I love such stories. So much drama. Only I feel really bad for Sonu who isn’t a product of nepotism (a cards Kangana could’ve pulled had he been) and he has worked hard and come up the hard way. None of his earlier film crew has ever had anything bad to say about him which is why he’s survived for as long as he has. Also none of the stuff Kangana accuses Sonu makes sense. Problems with working with female director is such a silly thing to say unless Kangana doesn’t think Farha khan is female. And none of other other things seem like horrible things if the director was on board?
One thing I’ve noticed is Kangana loves playing both the victim and the perpetuator. Kangana’s fanbase solidified when she did back to back roles in krish 3 and queen both of which were appreciated. Then she became a feminist icon. TWM2 solidified her box office potential etc. All was well until she went into Bash Hrithik overdrive and then some of her carefully crafted stories came out as lies. Some of her die hard supporters started questioning her stories. Her films started doing badly so overall her fan strength is entirely dependent on very good content like say Queen. She lost out on a lot of good will, now with her supporting the govt, there’s a set of earlier supporters who’ve distances themselves from her too.
It all depends on Manikarnika.
About people still working with her, I must say Maddy must have the patience of a saint. Rajkumar too. Also they had Queen when she comfortably overshadowed him so she feels unthreatened? Who knows?
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I can’t believe I forgot Kangana and Rajkummar worked together in Queen!!!! That might make a big difference, if you kind of know how to handle her already, if she trusts you, it could be a lot easier to work with her.
Excellent point about her playing both the victim and the perpetrator. It’s a kind of judo twist, she is the fragile victim being attacked, but only because they are afraid of, or don’t know, her strength. In this case she is describing herself both as a weak person in a bad place who is being attacked, and the strong brilliant woman saving the film through taking control and fixing mistakes. Which is it? If she is really the one running the film, then she should be strong enough to stand up and defend what she is doing. And if she is really so weak that she can’t handle a few news stories, than she shouldn’t be running the film.
It would be funny if this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, because Sonu Sood is kind of the opposite number to Kangana. Never any drama, never much fame or power or notice, worked for years to slowly advance, and his biggest value is that he can get along with anyone and anything and has loads of friendly acquaintances in all the industries. And Kangana was noticed right away, advanced rapidly, and has SO MUCH drama and fame and power and her biggest demerit is that she can’t seem to get along with people and has very few friends or friendly acquaintances.
On Fri, Aug 31, 2018 at 11:38 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Apart from Gangster, Fashion, Queen & TWM2-I can’t remember any other characters of Kangana that made impact. The first two were even similar in tone-the addicted, spurned woman on a self destruction spree. Not saying she isn’t talented but is she really that unique to put up with all the other baggage that comes with her?the biggest issue I see is that she seems interested only in her grandeur, the fight with Sonu started apparently when she started cutting his scenes & now she has replaced him with a total nobody. It’s like when Kangana is around, there’s room for no one else-co-actors,directors,writers, producers etc have to bend backwards to her whim. That doesn’t seem like the hallmark of a good actor or filmmaker who should ideally put the film above her own personal vanity & delusions of grandeur. I’m with you on the narcissist assessment. Kangana also has a big online army who is very active on YouTube & watches out for any articles, comments online like a hawk. Whenever any interview of hers is put out, the comment section is flooded with praises for eloquence in English& intelligence -some of the comments are so outlandish. I think the ridicule she faced for poor speech & language & being pushed around like a nobody is two of her biggest insecurities.
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What’s interesting is, she will talk about the good of the film (like she does here) but she doesn’t seem to see the big picture. Yes, maybe her reshoots are making it into a better film. But it could be slightly less good and release on time and not make the producers bankrupt. Or Simran, maybe her rewrites improved the picture, but her complete failure on the promotion campaign killed it. Movies aren’t art for arts sack, they are supposed to be a business and they are supposed to find an audience.
Alisa brought up Aamir and TZP, and Kangana herself has compared herself to Aamir, or at least said she admires him. But the thing with Aamir is, he is a perfectionist all around. He will fight and fight to make the film itself as good as possible, and also the promotion campaign, and also the screencount, and everything else. He doesn’t just focus on the filming and forget the rest of it.
On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 2:28 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I can never imagine Kangana letting a little boy or anyone else for that matter take the center stage in a film that she features in. I don’t know if it’s by design but even if the film is doomed like Simran, Kangana earns praises(for whatever)unlike Aamir, who doesn’t get talked about for his acting , directing or script acumen skills for making an extremely good movie like TZP.
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Good point. Aamir takes his films over to make them the best film they can be, whether or not he is the lead. And he promotes them in the way that will get them seen and appreciated, whether or not it is about him. Secret Superstar, for instance, he made a fool of himself for the promo song knowing it would get the film talked about and get people curious. It was about him, but not really about him. He was just using his own talents to get the film, and the real stars of the film, noticed. Dangal, he did the interview round but only so he could get people to interview his new actresses as well, used his own fame to push them forward.
It’s not just nice and generous, it’s pragmatic. An actor needs hit movies to survive, and the movies aren’t going to be hits if they are all about you. The audience needs to feel a connection to other people and other characters.
On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 8:38 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Apparently Sonu Sood has had enough of Kangana’s bad mouthing him. He issued a statement.
Sonu has shot back at Kangana, and said that “making this entire issue about male chauvinism is ridiculous”. He said, “Kangana is a dear friend and she will always remain one but this constant playing the woman card, the victim card and making this entire issue about male chauvinism is ridiculous.”
Sonu went on to add that he has no qualms being directed by a woman, as evidenced by his film, Happy New Year, which was helmed by Farah Khan. “The gender of the director is not the issue. Competence is. Let’s not confuse the two. I’ve worked with Farah Khan who is a competent woman director and Farah and I had a great professional equation and we are still best of friends,” he said.
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Ha, this is class. Even after all this rubbish she was saying about him, he answered as a adult, serious person.
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Good for Sonu! It is ridiculous, especially because it is so easily refutable in his case. It’s not like there are tons of woman directors around and tons of actors who have worked with them, but Kangana happened to pick on the one actor who can easily refute her. Makes it even more obvious that she was just using the first thought that came to mind.
On Sat, Sep 1, 2018 at 10:29 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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She even had a massive fight with Prabhas, imagine pissing off such a humble and down to earth guy like him then you know shes a psychopath
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