I’m an actress, not a sex-kitten: Kangna Ranaut

If there’s one thing that Kangna Ranaut truly enjoys about being an actress, then it’s playing a myriad of characters. Some of   them are close to her real self while the others are not.

But whether it’s playing a psychotic woman on screen, a sex siren or a toughened cop, like she does in her recent Abhishek Bachchan-starrer thiller, the process of being different people, is what Ranaut reveals that she enjoys the most.

Talking about her most-recent on-screen outing as a no-nonsense police agent, Ranaut says, “It was a conscious decision to not let my cop-act be looked upon as sexy. And to be honest, not having to seduce  men was fun.” She adds that the role was a good change for her. “In fact, I felt like a hero,” she smiles.

But wasn’t she apprehensive of playing such a ‘non-feminine’ character that didn’t even have a romantic track throughout the film?

“I’m an actor, not a sex-kitten! So, why would I mind playing such an asexual role? I think it’s really interesting to not use your sexuality on-screen, and instead, let it simmer under your character’s mannerisms,” says Ranaut.

As an afterthought, Ranaut adds that, “May be under the uniform there’s a woman who’s just as sexy, but I didn’t want my sex appeal to take away from the character’s core as a cop. That would’ve been a distraction from the story we wanted to tell. Also, as an actor I don’t want to be slotted into any image in particular and this role helped me balance my work.”

Talking about preparing for the role, Ranaut admits that she worked a lot on her speech for her cop role.

“I had to portray a focused aggression and mouthing the dialogues right was crucial to look convincing as a cop,” says Ranaut about her homework for her toughened act. “Also, I tried to adopt certain mannerisms that would look natural and a part of the character,” she explains.

Ranaut points out that she has always believed in challenging herself as an actor and bringing something different to the table each time. “The beauty of our profession is in being different characters and if a character requires me to take a break from the usual run-of-the-mill sexy roles, then so be it,” she signs off.