Actress Kangana Ranaut says during her initial days in the film industry people never thought she would be able to make it big in Bollywood, but she was always confident about her caliber.
Kangana, who made her Bollywood debut in 2006 with “Gangster,” has established herself as one of the top most actress with films like “Queen” and “Tanu Weds Manu” to her credit.
When asked if she feels her contemporaries are threatened with her success, the 29-year-old actress said she has no clue about what others think about her.
“When I was working my way up, I did not feel any threat because I think I was quite inconsequential. When I was struggling people used to ask me, so who do you think will make it really big as the leading lady of our generation?
“Deepika or Sonam ? And I used to say, ‘me.’ They used to laugh. I obviously was no competition so I don’t know what they (her contemporaries) felt about me.”
Kangana, however, says she has reached a stage in her career where she is absolutely secure of her work and does not feel threatened with others work at all.
“Right now I am not insecure of anyone. I don’t get into anyone’s territory. I have a different place of mine, I do my work, with different kind of directors in different films. I have a pretty safe place for myself.”
The actress is known for her sharp opinions and is often called fearless for standing up for issues which many be silent about.
Kangana says she is aware that because of her honesty, many men in the film industry feel scared when she starts talking.
“It is really heart breaking to see how scared and frightened people can get of me, just when I start to talk, especially men. They start to get really frightened as if I just turned into a ghost.
“I don’t like it. I hope I can do something to comfort them but at the same time, I don’t want to change who I am… I am going to be myself. I just let that be.”
Kangana was in conversation with Manu Joseph at the Times LitFest here.
PTI