Rangoon (*ing Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan)

Actress Kangana Ranaut says that Julia, the character she plays in 'Rangoon', is extremely fierce and fiery while also being a great dancer and a great action star.


"In 'Rangoon', I play an action star of the 1940s. And Julia is a woman who is very fierce, very fiery, she's a great dancer and a great action star," said Kangana present at the unveiling of the Sephora store on Saturday.

A picture of Kangana with a whip in her hand from the sets was captured recently, which had people think that she would indulge in some action for the film. She was also snapped while she was learning horse-riding for the film and had confessed that the preparations for the film had left her physically exhausted.

Kangana, who is famous for her curly hair right since her debut 'Gangster', is currently sporting straight and short hair. She confirmed that it was her look for the film and not her own style. "For the film, I have this look.. it's not styled like that. It's more vintagy, more wavy which you'll get to see in the film," she said.

The Vishal Bhardwaj-directed 'Rangoon' also stars Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor. Shahid plays a soldier in the film while Saif enacts the role of a filmmaker. Reportedly, the film is along the lines of the Hollywood classic "Casablanca" and is set during the World War II period.

By Roshmila Bhattacharya | Dec 19, 2016, 02.30 AM IST


Stormy Kangana takes centrestage



The film within the film features Kangana's starry Julia in the lead.

Vishal Bhardwaj's Casablanca-like love triangle is bringing back the poster girl of the '40s

Described as "Moulin Rouge meets Saving Private Ryan", Rangoon is a dream Vishal Bhardwaj had been nurturing for the last seven years. Set against the Second World War, this Casablanca-like love triangle featuring Kangana Ranaut, Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor, finally took off when Sajid Nadiadwala came on board as producer. Shot extensively in Arunachal Pradesh, the film is now into post-production and remains shrouded in secrecy.

Last December, Mirror photographer Raju Shelar joined a group of kids in a Goregaon jungle to reel off shots of Kangana in action at Mumbai's Film City studio where a large wooden set resembling a theatre stage, had been constructed. Sexy in black, wielding a whip and sporting a Marilyn Monroe-like haircut, with a white stallion neighing close by and the British flag serving as the backdrop, she played to the gallery as Julia, a diva from the '40s.

Now, we have got our hands on a poster of a film from the film (so meta!) which encapsulates the action in lurid colours and animated forms. The Navroz Talkies production, Toofan Ki Beti, is toplined by "Jaanbaaz Miss Julia" and brings back memories of a real-life cult icon from that era, Mary Ann Evans, who is best remembered by her screen name Fearless Nadia, and other stunt queens of the time.

The 1935 Hindi stunt film, Huntervali (Women with a Whip), about a princess-turned-masked crusader, was a surprise blockbuster, propelling its leading lady to instant fame and launching a genre of action-adventures with the heroine as the protagonist.

"Julia is not Fearless Nadia but is a '40s diva in her own right who came into films via theatre and as was the convention at the time, went to the front to entertain soldiers fighting the Second World War. That's where Julia who is in love with a producer, played by Saif Ali Khan, meets Shahid Kapoor's character and loses her heart again, bringing grit, glamour and romance into this intense war-drama," informs a source close to the development.

In an earlier interview to Mirror (May 6), Kangana had raved at the way Vishal had brought his largerthan- life vision on screen with grandeur and depth. "He's an amazing director, writer, composer and person. My Julia is beautiful, intense and funny. The film has three heroes," she had stated.

He will fight against all odds for love

So excited about this one after seeing the trailer. The cinematography looks so strong and the production values and performances look equally strong. I don't normally like WWII films, except for the English Patient, and this one looks like it may have drawn slightly on that one. Also makes me want to watch the Fearless Nadia films!