Kangna's deep search

Kangna Ranaut doesn’t have the measurements to make you sit up and take notice of her.

But if she were to make a clean breast of things, she would still have a lot to say. The 22-year-old from Manali made several mistakes (personal and professional) in her first year in Bollywood. But she’s used those very same mistakes as stepping stones on her journey to stardom.

With multiple releases lined up in 2010 including Kites, Once Upon A Time in Mumbai, Tanu Weds Manu, Knockout, No Problem and The Actor, life is throwing a rainbow of roles for her.

She recently bagged the National Award as Best Supporting Actress for Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. Elated with her new honour, Kangna says, “I didn’t know how significant the National Award was till I got deluged with messages from within and outside the film industry.’’ Confessing that she is super-ambitious, she adds, “Till mid-2008, it seemed like nothing was moving in my life. I got good films from Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt. But things were still moving slow. Then all of a sudden I found my career gathering steam. After Gangster and Woh Lamhe, the accolades poured in for Fashion. Makers like Rakesh Roshan, Anees Bazmee and Mani Shankar Aiyar signed me for their projects. And, clichéd as it may seem, there has been no looking back.’’

Showbiz apart, Kangna is one of those introspective girls who are constantly looking for the true meaning of life. “Okay, the movies are my focal point. But, then I’m also looking for something beyond movies. I know I want to direct one some day. I have bought myself a fancy new car. I’m buying a home in Manali. Fame and fortune apart, I’m also searching for something deep within. I keep telling myself that if life is over at 50, I should have accomplished something substantial before that.’’
Drawing a deep breath, the curly-haired temptress adds, “There is a random energy that I draw strength from. And somehow I know, I’m not going to be satisfied with routine stuff. My life is special... and I’m going to treat it that way.’’ Men, she says, can wait...