Kangana Ranaut to star in Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda

After Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi (2019), Kangana Ranaut is all set to star in the second film in a planned franchise titled Manikarnika Returns: The Legend Of Didda. While the first film was based on the life of Rani Laxmibai (1828-1858), this one narrates the story of Queen Didda, who ruled Kashmir from 980 CE to 1003 CE. 

“Didda was [the] queen of Kashmir who defeated Mehmood Ghaznavi twice in battle. Her one leg was polio-stricken but she was one of the greatest warriors (sic),” read a statement from the makers. 

Ranaut has joined hands once again with producer Kamal Jain, who had backed the 2019 movie. “The actress had a meeting with Jain last week and locked their new script,” read the statement. 

A statement from Ranaut’s publicist said the new film would be bigger and "mounted on an international scale". "The team intends to make a world-class franchise of real-life women heroes. The idea is to bring forgotten woman heroes who have constructed the true identity of Bharat (sic),” read the statement.

Ranaut plans to start shooting for the film in January 2022 after completing her ongoing projects. She has a series of films lined up such as Thalaivi (2021), Dhaakad (2021), Tejas and Aparajitha Ayodhya.