Kangana Ranaut will play Rani Laxmibai, but Ketan Mehta won't direct the film

Ketan Mehta's biopic on Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi, with Kangana Ranaut in the lead role, has been on the burner for the last two years. The actress has been prepping for the role, but has now signed on for the same biopic for a different director.

The actress is all set to go under the lights for the first poster shoot of Manikarnika, a historical biopic by noted Telugu director Krish. Krish had previously directed the Akshay Kumar starrer Gabbar is Back (2015).  The film will be based on the story scripted by noted Baahubali writer, KV Vijayendra Prasad. 

Reports suggest that although Ranaut was keen on Mehta's film, it continues to grapple with creative differences. An insider was quoted by a tabloid saying, "Ketan was insistent that his movie be made in English for an international audience, like Gurinder Chadha's The Viceroy House, but those working on the film felt it won't go with the ethos of the story." 

Meanwhile, Krish's film will be titled 'Manikarnika', after the birth name of the legendary queen. The film is expected to go on floors by mid-May. An insider was quoted "The new film will be helmed by a fresh team. A top studio, too, has agreed to back the venture, which is envisioned as an action-packed, feisty film. It is the biopic of an ordinary girl, who when faced with tough times, discovered the warrior in her. The film will go on floors in mid-May." 

This project will ensure that Ketan Mehta's film slides further into limbo. Reports suggest that Kangana was not too pleased with the director's insistence on making the film in English in order to target an international audience. The actress was also working on the script herself. A source was quoted saying, "The actress and the filmmaker couldn't find common ground on the language factor, leaving the project in a limbo." 

Regardless of Mehta's difficulty, Kangana Ranaut will be the Rani of Jhansi, in one film or another.