Kangana Ranaut might be in the Capital to receive her third National Award, but it is her personal life that has everyone talking. However, the actor makes it clear that no one can shame her for what she is not.

Kangana is the only other actor after Shabana Azmi to win two National Awards back to back. But her Bollywood journey has not exactly been easy. Her father had refused to let her enter films, but as Kangana put it: "For my life, I need to make my own choices." "I love that my father resisted my choices," she said in an exclusive interview with India Today Television. "It gave me a lot more stamina. Even when I was rebelling against my father, the point was to follow my own intuition and instinct," she added. Speaking about her impressive Bollywood journey so far and no movies opposite the big Khans of the silver screen, Kangana said, "Initially I wanted a traditional route where I wanted to work with big heroes.

In Bollywood if you work with a superstar, even if you are a newcomer, you become a superstar. That didn't happen with me." "Now I get a lot of offers to work with the Khans. I'm my own hero on the sets, why should I work with other heroes? The Khans did not want to work with me when I started, why should I work with them now?" she asked.

While Kangana said that she doesn't have many friends in the industry, she does have well-wishers. In all the chaos in her personal life - she doesn't really need anyone to stand up for her. "I can do it myself," said the actor.

If her legal war with alleged 'silly-ex' Hrithik Roshan wasn't enough, ex-boyfriend Adhyayan Suman's revelations about their abusive relationship has shocked Bollywood fraternity and fans. With each passing day, there seems to be a new twist to the entire drama.



Speaking up

While Hrithik and Adhyayan have made strong statements against the Queen actor, Kangana has finally broken her silence on the entire episode. The 29-year-old actor has revealed that she is shocked how her personal life has become a circus.

"The recent turn of events in my life has shocked me. It has been overwhelming and unsettling for me also. I was probably prepared for everything.

But I wasn't prepared for this. This has brought about a different side of our society. It is very hard to come to terms with this kind of suppression, this sort of name-calling, this kind of witch-hunt mentality in the 21st century," she told India Today.

Kangana, who was in a relationship with Adhyayan in 2009, says that people do speak ill of others out of envy. But it is hard for her to believe that the most private parts of her life are being discussed in such a negative manner. According to Adhyayan, he and Kangana got close during the shooting of a song from Raaz 2 in 2008 and eventually started seeing each other. The next one year was allegedly filled with mental and physical torture inflicted on him by Kangana. He even accused her of ruining his Bollywood career.

"Many people are insecure of many people. There is envy but you don't subject this kind of brutality on anybody. It shows a different side of the society. The way we are discussing the most delicate matters, in a very brutal, negative and sadistic fashion, is disturbing. Attempts are being made to destroy me. Whether they are working or not is another matter," she added.

In fact, Adhyayan in his interview called Kangana a psychopath and even said that the actor indulged in black magic. But Kangana says that name-calling doesn't affect her much.

"I do not want to detach myself from these names. Because for way too long, we women are refusing to accept ourselves. Imagine in the medieval ages, there was no evidence of how the history of mankind has been affected by witchcraft. But there is significant factual history of how brutality and sadism of mankind have been displayed in the most obscene manner in the name of witch-hunt.

Even in this new age, when we have to project our frustrations on a woman, the first thing we call her is daayan, chudail or whore or psychopath. The mentality is the same. If I can't get you, I might just destroy you," the actor said. She added, "I am a very proud Hindu. The foundation of my personality is laid on the teachings of Swami Vivekananda or Sanatan Dharm or the Gita. And if my religious practices or anybody's religious practices are given any kind of sadistic name, it instills fear about other person's religious practices.

People of our country are discussing about my periods and calling it gross. There is nothing gross about it. If your agenda is to shame me, it's not happening." Kangana went on to say that there was nothing wrong or nothing to be ashamed of in witchcraft. She believes that each person's belief and religion belongs to them.

No apologies

"Witchcraft is an ancient art, everyone should know about it. What is wrong with witchcraft? Don't we like Harry Potter? I would want my daughter to know about witchcraft," she said, adding that terms like witch, whore etc are being used as weapons to destroy women and we need to find our strength against that.

Kangana, who was last seen in Tanu Weds Manu Returns, says that no matter how ugly the legal battle gets, she is not ready to bow down to pressure. "At this point, I can't pretend to be sorry about something that I am not," she signed off.



Also read: 10 things Kangana Ranaut said that made us re-fall in love with her



Kangana-Adhyayan mess: Why the Sumans don't deserve any time or attention



