An ashram in manali

The 23-year-old National Award winning actress would like to set up an ashram in the hills of Manali. “Mediation, music, yoga… Different forms of art can be taught there. It would be a place to unwind, cleanse the soul and release your forces of creativity,” says Kangna Ranaut.

By the time she is 30, Ranaut would also like to launch her own designer line. “I love fabrics and cuts. With a little training, my sketches can come in handy,” says Ranaut, who sports a retro look in Ekta Kapoor’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbai that opens on July 30.

This will be her second release this year, after Kites, followed by No Problem, Knock Out and Tanu Weds Manu. “I have a film almost every month,” she says.

Happy go lucky
A couple of them are ‘happy’ roles. “People are used to seeing me in intense parts. No complaints, I’m lucky to have landed Gangster, Woh Lamhe, Metro, Fashion and Once Upon A Time In Mumbai. And being funny can be just as intense as crying,” she reasons. “For the first time in a movie, in Tanu Weds Manu, I’m not in pain but giving everyone else pain.”

Then, there’s Knock Out, whose promos were unveiled at IIFA in Colombo last month. Isn’t that the ‘desi’ Phone Booth? “I haven’t seen Phone Booth but since it’s a take on the political scenario in our country, I don’t see Hollywood creeping in. Yes, there’s a phone in both films but it’s a necessity rather than an accessory in ours given that it’s about crime reporting and spans 24 hours. We don’t even have the time to change costumes,” she argues.

The actress is just back from a Game shoot in Greece, Istanbul and London. “Abhishek (Bachchan) is my co-star in the film and Aishwarya was with him. We became good friends and would do lunch and dinner together. It was fun,” she enthuses.

Wasn’t Aishwarya the first choice for her role? “As far as I know, I was approached first, but didn’t have the dates,” she says. “In between I have no idea who was asked. When the film was rescheduled, they came back to me, and this time I could take it on.”