When I wanted to work with the Khans, they didn’t want me: Kangana Ranaut

When she speaks, all stand up and takes notice. Firebrand Kangana Ranaut is at it again, speaking her heart out and making headlines in the process. 

Speaking to Mid-Day tabloid, Ranaut didn’t hesitate in expressing her views on patriarchal stereotypes, especially in relationships.

"Intimidating women aren't worth having sex with. Bold, stubborn women, who are achievers are desirable only to those who are strong and assured. [For some men] it's frightening to handle a woman who can speak her mind. Thankfully, that's not true of everyone. Courage is often endearing and rare," Ranaut told Mid-day. 

Ranaut was asked whether she would want to follow her Bollywood colleagues like Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra to Hollywood, to which the Queen actress said she had no such aspirations.

"It would be stupid for anyone to make the move to the West now. Their theatre business is crashing because of the influx of digital media. Asia, on the other hand, is where Hollywood was 15 years ago. It is a lucrative time for entertainment here. These are baits that I won't fall prey to," Ranaut said in the interview.

The actress, probably taking a dig at Deepika Padukone welcoming her xXx: Return Of Xander Cage co-star Vin Diesel to India, said, "If an American film [The Jungle Book, 2016] is doing Rs100 crore business, and not all our films are able to, we may not find adequate screens for home-bred films 10 years down the line. I'm all for world cinema, but it needs to be a film that brings employment and money into our country. I don't wish to offer myself on a platter to another industry."

Ranaut also spoke to India Today Television news anchor Rahul Kanwal where she revealed why she’s not keen to work with the Khans (Shah Rukh, Aamir, Salman) today. 

“In the beginning I wanted to take the conventional route, where I could work with big heroes and become a big heroine. For examples, in villages, a doctor's wife will also be treated as a doctor, even though she's a housewife. That is what follows in Bollywood. That didn’t happen with me though. Now I get a lot of offers to work with the Khans. When I asked my father for financial help, and he would say, 'it’s my way or the highway'. If you don’t want to go school then I have no money. When I became successful, he offered me money, so it’s the same thing with Khans. When I wanted to work with them, no one was ready to work with me. Now that I’m the hero on my set why should I work with them?" Ranaut told India Today Television.

While she’s not keen to work with the Khans, Ranaut downplayed comparison with them in terms of pay scale. 

"It would be unfair to compare me with the Khans. They are like a phenomena. But keeping my male counterparts in mind, I make sure that I get paid as much as them," she said.

Ranaut is often the subject of nasty rumours, most notably the accusation by former boyfriend Adhyayan Suman that she indulges in witchcraft. Ranaut merely dubbed it as an accusation, but was more than happy to talk about the rumour of her drinking her menstrual blood.

"People in the country are discussing about my periods. What's so gross about it? First of all, it is not an appetiser or a cocktail. Even to suggest that it is used for making food is not acceptable. Why do we need to tell our women that period blood is gross? Where will this take our women and children? There is nothing gross about babies? If there is nothing enchanting or mysterious of a man’s body fluid and it doesn't cast a spell in anyway, why should a women’s body fluid be called gross? I don't mind if you to want write about my period cycle in your gossip columns. It doesn’t embarrasses nor shames me, but don’t call it gross," she said.

The actress will be seen in Vishal Bhardwaj’s next Rangoon.