Kangana never cheats with her roles

Stories about Kangana Ranaut and ‘Queen’ continue even so many days after the release. A filmmaker told me that he went to watch ‘Queen’ on a holiday and had to purchase tickets for his family in black for an afternoon show at a multiplex! What is further admirable is that Kangana made no tall claims in her interviews before the release, in fact she went in jeans and kurti on all the channels to promote the film and all she said was that if you believe in good cinema, come and watch a non-hero film.

She was quiet during the promotion of ‘Krrish 3’ and smiled as Priyanka Chopra basked in the limelight. Kangana knew that when the film released she would get her due and she did. It has been a great year for Kangana and she has been eloquent about it. Recently she hosted a big bash to celebrate what she describes as the 3 Aces: her birthday, her new home and ‘Queen’ which was attended by the entire film fraternity.

As this brilliant actress gets ready for one more sparkler ‘Revolver Rani’ scheduled to release in the end of April, I chat up with Kangana’s designer Gavin to find out what role a designer plays in the making of a star persona or rather how a star and designer work as a team to create the perfect character.

It must have been a big challenge to create the futuristic vamp in ‘Krrish 3’?

Sure, but the credit for the imagination goes to the director because all the details were in the script and all we had to do was to flesh the skeleton with fabrics. That Kangana carried the costumes so gracefully was an advantage. We had a lavish budget for her costumes, but it was her attitude that made all the difference. It is amazing how she managed the hard and the soft expressions of the changing character with equal ease.

What about ‘Queen’?

Queen was comparatively easier. She is familiar with that side of Delhi and has interacted with similar characters. It was interesting because we had never seen her in kurtis and jeans; the simplicity was the attraction. The snap shots of the forthcoming film ‘Revolver Rani’ looks outlandish. Yes, the effect is intentional because while story is traditional and set against the backdrop of a political drama in rustic MP, what makes it different is that Kangana plays a politically active local goon. She decided that she wanted Alka to dress over the top in quirky outfits. I had my apprehensions but she had thought through her characterization and I submitted to her idea of wearing dhoti pants with boots, funky glasses, metal accessories (guns included). She wears a tanned look in the film that’s how involved she gets and works on the smallest detail.

So do both of you go shopping together for the costumes?

Yes, together and also separately, we send pictures via mobile and references via mail to exchange ideas. It is always a trial and error, and experimenting with many permutations and combinations. One day we were shopping in Europe and just for a lark decided to check out the kinky stores on the streets because we were not getting what we wanted in the fancy stores and the idea to buy crazy accessories, the more outrageous the better!

Why Europe?

Because Alka, her character in the film is obsessed with clothes from Europe and Kangana was enjoying going overboard. Her spirit is a big incentive for me as a designer. It has to be said that despite all her success, she is not obsessed with looking good all the time.

There are pictures of her wearing a metallic bra. Isn’t that impractical?

She wears that for a specific bedroom scene where she is showing off her stylish self to Vir Das. It was impractical, I agree, because while the bra looked smashing we were skeptical if it would be comfortable but Kangana is not the kind to give up so easily, so she began wearing it at home for a few days before the shooting commenced and it worked! When you watch the film, she looks so poised you will never imagine how much it hurts on the skin.

Everybody acknowledges Kangana Ranaut is a great actor, how do you rate her as a style icon?

She has a great body, great face and great style. I would say that she is fashionable without knowing or even trying and contributes to all her costumes actively both on and off the screen. Her ideas and sense of style is as good as a professional designer and what is most important is that she dresses her characters with honesty. Unlike many actresses who wear expensive fabrics and play poor girls, Kangana will never cheat with her roles and this reflects in her films.