Ankita Lokhande to play Kangana Ranaut's right hand in Manikarnika

TV actress Ankita Lokhande has signed for Kangana Ranaut's ambitious historical drama Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.

The Pavitra Rishta (famous TV show) actress has been roped in to play the role of Jhalkaribai, the right hand doppelganger of Rani Laxmibai, who duped the British, but in the process also lost her life.

Lokhande was honest enough to admit that she hadn’t heard of the historical character before. “I’d never heard of her before, not many have, but Jhalkaribai was one of the greatest heroes of our proud history. I’m honoured that I’ll be telling her story to the world, fighting alongside Kangana’s Rani Laxmibai,” Lokhande told Mumbai Mirror tabloid.

Like Ranaut, Lokhande will also learn combative skills and horse riding. The young actress is looking forward to learn from Ranaut who played the titular character.

“I am indebted to Kamal sir for this challenging role in a big budget film scripted by Baahubali scriptwriter KV Vijayendra Prasad alongside a National Award-winning actress like Kangana who exudes power and is an inspiration to all women. I am looking forward to learning from her once we start shooting in August,” said Lokhande.

Born as Manikarnika, Rani of Jhansi was the queen of the Maratha-ruled Jhansi state, situated in the north-central part of India. She was one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and became for Indian nationalists a symbol of resistance to the British Raj.

A month ago, it was reported that Lokhande was tipped to make her debut with Malang, one of Sanjay Dutt's upcoming films. However, there is no confirmation on that so far.