When Kangana Ranaut watched Rani Mukerji’s Black and said, `What`s the big deal`

Bollywood actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut celebrates her birthday on March 23. The BJP MP, who recently directed and acted in the film Emergency, once took a dig at Rani Mukerji’s performance in Black calling it no big deal. The film, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, narrates the story of Michelle (Mukerji), a deafblind woman, and her relationship with her teacher Debraj (Amitabh Bachchan), an elderly alcoholic teacher who later develops Alzheimer`s disease. It draws inspiration from the life of Helen Keller, as well as the 1962 film based on her autobiography, The Miracle Worker.

Kangana Ranaut on watching SLB’s Black

On Mid-day’s Sit With Hitlist, Kangana recalled, “People around me from theatre were suggesting I do films, which I thought would be difficult. I went with my roommate Kamlesh, who was almost my mother`s age. My roommate took me to watch Black and told me if we could act like that, we could also become like them. And I said, “I can do this. What`s the big deal?” She was like, “Oh my god, look at you?” I said in theatre, we do this in one go. Here, you have to do it in segments; and if you mess up, you can do it again! I went back to my hostel and tried to enact [Rani Mukerji`s character] before the mirror. And I knew I could definitely do this. That day, I found the confidence.”

Kangana Ranaut’s work front 

Meanwhile, Kangana was recently seen in the film `Emergency` which was released on January 17, 2025. The film revolves around the period of emergency declared by Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977, a controversial and transformative chapter in Indian political history. It also featured Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhary, Milind Soman, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, and the late Satish Kaushik in pivotal roles.

She has wrapped up shooting for her upcoming thriller with actor R Madhavan. The film, directed by AL Vijay, marks the two actors` reunion after almost a decade since their 2015 hit, Tanu Weds Manu Returns. The film, which was announced in 2023, is said to be a pan-India thriller.