Rumours begin before Panga: Has Ashwiny Iyer Tiwary asked for 'no-interference' clause?

The controversies never seem to end for Kangana Ranaut, who is currently battling to get her period film Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi ready in time for release in the Republic Day week next year.

Manikarnika has already courted more than its fair share of controversy. Probably because of that, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwary, director of Ranaut's next film Panga, has got a 'no-interference' clause incorporated in her contract, according to a report.

In the latest controversy involving Manikarnika, an image of a clapboard with Ranaut's name as director had caused eyebrows to be raised last week and created a doubt about director Krish's hold on the film.

Ranaut's team later denied she had taken over the film and said she had only directed a particular sequence.

Ranaut has been cast as a kabaddi player in Panga, which brings her and the Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) director together for the first time.

The website Bollywoodhungama.com quoted a source as saying, “Ashwiny has had many meetings with Kangana and they got along really well. Ashwiny is sure she will make a fabulous film with Kangana. But the repeated allegations of interference in the director’s work, first with Vishal Bhardwaj on Rangoon (2017), then Hansal Mehta in Simran (2017) and now Krish with Manikarnika (2019), have put Ashwiny on her guard.”

We tried to speak to the actress's team, but there was no response. A source close to the film, however, said, “Kangana signed the film long ago. If such a clause is being talked about, then it is something between the director and the production house. It has nothing to do with Kangana. She will wind up Manikarnika soon and should hopefully begin shooting for Panga in October.”

Panga is being produced solely by Fox Star Studios. A source in the production house rubbished the rumour about the controversial clause.

"There is no such clause in the director’s contract," the source said. "No such demand was made by the director or by anyone else on this film. Someone is spreading false stories."

Panga, quite ironically, means 'challenge'.