Kangana Ranaut, who straddles the worlds of cinema and politics, is currently in the spotlight as she gears up for the release of her film ‘Emergency’. However, her past controversial statements have resurfaced, drawing renewed attention. In a recent promotional interview, Kangana was questioned about her previous comments regarding drug use—a topic she addressed in past interviews and on her own Instagram account. Surprisingly, she denied ever making such statements.
During a conversation with ‘The Lallantop’, Kangana was reminded of a 2020 remark in which she described herself as a ‘star and a drug addict.’ She responded by reflecting on the challenges of leaving a sheltered environment and being exposed to the world. Kangana explained that as a free-spirited individual, she found herself drawn to experiences that were both alarming and intriguing.
She explained, “When you stay with your family, you find yourself in a very protected environment. But, when you cut off from them, you get exposed to various circumstances. You leave home to explore the world, to understand the difference between the right and wrong. When you are a free spirited person, every place that’s alarming, intriguing, beautiful, and dark, makes you curious. You get attracted towards it.”
She suggested that her exploration of these experiences was part of her method acting process, particularly during films like Gangster, Woh Lamhe, and Fashion. In these roles, she portrayed characters dealing with alcoholism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. Kangana described this phase of her life as one of youthful experimentation, driven by curiosity rather than a genuine inclination towards substance use.
She stated, “When I was doing Gangster, I played the role of an alcoholic. In the film Woh Lamhe, I played a character who was suffering from bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia. In Fashion, my character was a cocaine addict and had drug withdrawal symptoms. That was a phase of my life. Call it a way of method acting or your youthfulness… It was all just an experience.”
Kangana also emphasized how her surroundings influenced her, noting how she observed people smoking on film sets. Reflecting on her past, she admitted that the innocence and open-mindedness of her younger self contributed to her success but acknowledged that she has since matured and developed a clearer understanding of right and wrong, “Because you are young, you are very open-minded. If you will see today’s Kangana and her beliefs, do you think she can achieve the same level of success that the young Kangana achieved? I don’t think so. That quality is now missing in me. I don’t have the innocence of a 16-year-old anymore. Now, I am mature. I know the difference between the right and wrong. Now, I know it’s a rave party, I will not go to one. But the younger Kangana wouldn’t have, and that’s the only reason why I became ‘Kangana Ranaut’ in the first place,” she added.
In the interview, Kangana clarified that while she sought to understand the emotions associated with drug withdrawal for her roles, she did not actually experiment with drugs herself. Instead, she conducted thorough research, met with people, and spoke to them to inform her performances. She said, “I wasn’t scared back then, and drugs intrigued me as a teenager. I played a model in Fashion. She was on the streets. I wanted to understand what drug withdrawals are, how they feel. For the kind of feelings I had to portray on screen, I experimented with things.”
Frustrated by the focus on her past comments, Kangana questioned why her achievements aren’t given the same attention. She highlighted the strength it took to navigate the industry as a 15-year-old who left home and resisted the pitfalls that could have derailed her. Kangana urged people to focus on her resilience and the person she has become, rather than dwelling on her past remarks, “Why are you focusing on whether or not I did drugs? Why are you not focusing on the 15-year-old girl, who had left her home, who had all the money and fame, yet didn’t become an alcoholic, drug addict, item girl, or a high society prostitute. She didn’t become a lot of things that the world wanted to make her. She became who I am today,” the actress concluded.
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