Kangana Ranaut launched the poster and announced the release date of her upcoming film Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi in Varanasi yesterday. The actress, who will play Rani Laxmi Bai in the film, was present at its press conference, which was also attended by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, who have composed music for the film. The trio even performed a power packed number along with singer Richa Singh to a poem penned by Prasoon Joshi.

Check out the teaser poster of Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, directed by Krish.

Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi
Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi

Dressed in a gold nauvari saree by ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and a tangerine brocade blouse, Kangana performed the aarti and took dips in the river at the “Dashaswmedha Ghat”.

While taking a dip in the Ganga, Kangana was heard chanting: “Har Har Mahadev”. She said she feels blessed to start the movie with the blessing of Lord Shiva.

“After coming on board to this project I’m feeling like I’ve achieved something very big in this movie…,” Kangana said.

Manikarnika - The Queen Of Jhansi
Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi

“I agree that I am rebellious but she (Rani Laxmi Bai) was a rebel with a cause that makes her a hero…I rebel because if my instincts want me too. So that makes me a badass. She’s a hero,” Kangana said at the press conference.

Asked by IANS if making historicals have become a trend in Bollywood, Kangana told reporters: “Well it’s working. Look at Baahubali, it has broken all the records and that’s what people want to see but to be honest ‘Manikarnika – The Queen Of Jhansi‘ is not like a project …”

“She is from our country. If she was from some other country how would they celebrate her spirit. So we as a nation need to give her, her due,” she said.

Talking about having a biopic on her life, Kangana said: “I personally feel I have a long way to go…I still feel I haven’t got into the field that I actually feel very passionate about, which is filmmaking.”

Kangana feels that she will be known better as a filmmaker than an actor.

Check This Out