Kangana Ranaut Says She REJECTED Films with Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar: 'Didn't Want to Be...'

Kangana Ranaut revealed she turned down offers of films starring Ranbir Kapoor and Akshay Kumar in the lead. The actress, who has not worked with several A-lister actors in Bollywood, admitted it was a conscious decision to work with the Khans, Kumar, and Kapoor. She added that this was her way of setting an example that actresses can make a mark in Bollywood without doing films with Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Ranbir Kapoor.

In a recent podcast, Kangana opened up about her film choices when she proudly revealed she has not worked with the five A-listers. She added that the films starring these stars usually feature a template wherein women are reduced to a few scenes and a couple of songs, and she did not want to play such parts.

“I refused Khan-led films. All Khans are very nice to me, they are very kind to me, and they have never misbehaved with me. Yes, there are people who have misbehaved with me but Khans were not one of them. But I said no to their films because their films are prototypes wherein the heroine will have two scenes and one song. So I said I don’t want to do that. I want to be an example of a woman who is an A-lister, the top-most actor who has not worked with Khans,” Kangana said in a podcast with Raj Shamani.

“I wanted to do my best for women who were going to come after me and no Khans can make you successful, no Khans can make you successful, no Kumar can make you successful, no Kapoor can make you successful. I said no to Ranbir Kapoor’s films, I said no to Akshay Kumar’s films. I didn’t want to be the prototype that only a hero can make a heroine successful. Aisa nahi hai, you can be successful on your own as well. I set that example,” the actress added.

She warned that at the beginning of your career, do whatever good work that comes your way. “When you have a say, then you do activism. Don’t do it before that,” Kangana said.

Kangana explored female-centric roles after films like Queen and Tanu Weds Manu. She has also done films such as Fashion and Thalaivii, which did not feature an A-list Bollywood star. Kangana will now be seen in Emergency. The film is based on the Emergency in India in the early 1980s, under the rule of Indira Gandhi. Kangana plays the Congress political leader in the film and is also directing the film.