When news of Kangana Ranaut playing Jhansi Ki Rani surfaced, especially on the heels of Baahubali 2’s release, the excitement was genuine and expectations were high. Back then she was giving interviews after interviews of her giving her version of all that transpired between her and actor Hrithik Roshan. She was also stirring up the whole nepotism debate that created attention nationwide. Cut to 2019 and she’s in fresh controversy thanks to her latest film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.

It all began when one of the actors in the film – Sonu Sood – walking out of the project mid-way last year. While Kangana said that he walked away because he wasn’t comfortable with a woman taking charge, he rubbished those claims. Later, the trailer came out and the credits featured her name, along with the original director Krish’s name, using his full name ‘Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi’.

With the film finally released, Krish, who has directed popular films including Gautamiputra Satakarni and the recently released N.T.R: Kathanayakudu, shared how Kangana is very rude and why she doesn’t deserve the credit for direction. Speaking to SpotboyE, he said:

“I don’t know how Kangana can sleep well by taking the first credit in direction when she does not deserve it,” he said. When asked if any of his portions were removed by her, he said: “Difficult to say. But I think Kangana has done 20-25 per cent of the first half. I didn’t shoot a song and I didn’t shoot her entry scene. In the second half, she has even re-shot some scenes which I had done in a different way. But it’s okay now. The film is looking brilliant. I am happy that she didn’t spoil it much. Kangana even told me that Zee Studios hadn’t liked what I had made. 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.

In 2017, a similar incident took place. Kangana Ranaut was all set to star in Hansal Mehta’s Simran, a true story based on a young woman’s gambling addiction and how she went to jail owing to all the debts she had.

The story, a serious one on paper, had Kangana’s character rob a bank so as to have enough money to pay her brutal loan sharks. The story was written by noted scriptwriter Apurva Asrani which made for a gritty, thriller. However, Kangana took charge of the script and changed the whole version, turning it into a comedy. The film was a flop and the battle between Apurva Asrani intensified to the point where Hansal Mehta had to break relations with his frequent collaborator.