Kangana Ranaut-fronted Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi has been in the news ever since actor Sonu Sood decided to opt out of the project, citing an unspecified scheduling conflict. His exit from the project raised a lot of eyebrows when Kangana claimed that the reason why he pulled out of the project was because he “refused to work under a woman director”. Soon after, the director of the film, Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi or Krish as he is popularly known, also walked out of the the film. Post his exit, Kangana took over the directing duties.
Now, in an interview with SpotboyE, Krish has first time addressed the controversy around his abrupt departure from the period drama.
“I don’t know how Kangana can sleep well by taking the first credit in direction when she does not deserve it,” he said.
When he was asked about how much of his portions Kangana cut from the film, he said, “Difficult to say. But I think Kangana has done 20-25 per cent of the first half. I didn’t shoot a song and I didn’t shoot her entry scene. In the second half, she has even re-shot some scenes which I had done in a different way. But it’s okay now. The film is looking brilliant. I am happy that she didn’t spoil it much.”
Krish said that he was told that Zee Studios, the production house behind the film, hadn’t liked his cut.
“Kangana even told me that Zee Studios hadn’t liked what I had made. It was looking like a Bhojpuri film. I laughed. People know my previous work. We argued but she wanted her own way. I just couldn’t understand,” he said.
Krish also claimed that Kangana wanted Sonu Sood’s character to be killed off in the first half itself which led to big arguments between the actress and him.
“She (Kangana) said Sonu is not required in the second half. But I put my foot down. Big arguments followed. Kamal Jain (one of the film’s producers) took Kangana’s side,” he added.