Manikarnika actress Mishti Chakravarty blasts Kangana Ranaut for chopping her role
mishti chakravarti manikarnika kangana ranaut krish manikarnika the queen of jhansi manikarnika director krish and kangana fight kangana ranaut fights kangana ranaut manikarnika
India Today Web Desk
Manikarnika actress Mishti Chakravarty slammed Kangana Ranaut in a recent interview and said that her role had been cut short and that if she knew Kangana was directing the film she would not have done it.
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India Today
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, starring Kangana Ranaut, has been courting controversy for several months now, due to its production delays, budget overruns and showdowns on set. Though the film is minting money at the box office, Kangana has attracted heavy fire from several quarters. Director Krish Jagarlmudi was upset with her claims of directing 70% of the film and reducing important roles.

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And now, Mishti Chakravarty, who plays Kashibai in the film, has slammed Kangana in a tell-all interview to an entertainment portal.

She said that she had been promised prominent scenes in the film and that she had been wanting to work with Krish for a long time. "He promised me that I would have a lot of promising scenes, I got convinced, largely due to Krish who was directing the film. I know Krish's body of work and I had been wanting to work with him since a long time. Aur end mein, director bhi nahin raha, role bhi nahi raha (laughs). I had shot some beautiful scenes but nothing has been retained. I really didn't want to be an insignificant part of a significant film. I may not have a strong presence in Bollywood but I am doing some very good work in films of other languages," she said.

She admitted that she had gotten a rather raw deal from Kangana. "I learnt that Kangana had become the decision-maker. But don't I have a choice of whom to work with and whom to not work with? If I was told from the beginning that Kangana will be the director, I would've probably not done Manikarnika."

Mishti added, "She could have been a great director. Actors are known to be self-obsessed. But if I am directing a film, I would think of myself as an actor wouldn't I?"

Mishti said that when she saw the film finally she was shocked. "I had allotted dates to a film down South, when Kangana came to me and told me: You are like a sister to me in the film, my best friend. You can chose to not give me dates but it's an actor's loss on your side". Pray, what does that mean? And you know what! Kamal Jain called me to say that he had decided to increase my role in the film. Later when I saw the film, I was shocked.

"I came to the conclusion that they needed extra dates from me to shoot insignificant scenes and they can chop the important scenes they had shot with me earlier, and match it up accordingly. It was like they needed my dates for patchwork."

Asked why she is not confronting Kangana, Mishti answered, "Usko call karke kya karun? She is in power. She is a far more established than me. She can very well tell me: Mishti, I am not interested in talking to you. Everybody is liking the film. I have made a good film. My job is done."

Mishti also backed Sonu Sood, who had walked out of the film. Kangana had said that he could not take 'orders from a woman.' Kangana said, "Of course. Sonu never said anything of the sort of 'not taking orders from a woman'. Sonu has worked with Farah. Isn't Farah a woman? why does this question of man and woman come up every time? "

However, she doesn't like to say that doing Manikarnika was a mistake. "I can't say it was a mistake. The film was about a great leader, Rani Laxmibai. But haan, I deserved much better in Manikarnika as an actor. This film is from history. Every hero or heroine from history has other unsung heroes or heroines around him/her. You need to tell their story too, their interactions with the protagonist."

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In his earlier interview, Krish had explained the behind-the-scenes drama that went on behind Manikarnika. He said that he had shot the film, only some dubbing was required. However, Kangana was not satisfied and wanted several changes in the film. She also "blatantly" reduced the roles of other characters.

Krish said that she tried to convince him that Zee Studios did not like what he had made at all and that "it was looking like a Bhojpuri film". "I laughed. People know my previous work. We argued but she wanted her own way. I just couldn't understand," he said, adding, "She is rude all the time."

Krish said that his identity was tampered with in the credits of Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi. "The first poster which bore the date, had my name. Then came the teaser, which had my name but not as Krish which I am known as in the industry including in the credit titles of my previous films. I was given a new name - Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi - which I never use," he said.

In fact, when he tried to change this, Kangana told him off. "When I spoke to them about the distortion of my name in the teaser, Kangana told me 'You didn't support me in the Sonu Sood episode. Aapko abhi zaroorat hai toh aaye ho.' She told me I have anger management issues (laughs), but it was she who was shouting at me. And now after seeing the film, I see my name again distorted and now in a separate slide!" he revealed.

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