Kangana Ranaut to direct Aparajitha Ayodhya herself

In November last year, Kangana Ranaut had announced her next production based on the Ayodhya dispute, titled Aparajitha Ayodhya. At that time, her sister and manager Rangoli Chandel had said the director and the cast of the film would be revealed later. 

“Very soon Kangana will have a grand launch of Aparajitha Ayodhya where they will announce the director and the cast,” Chandel had tweeted.

In the latest announcement about the film, Ranaut has revealed the director. That happens to be her.

Explaining her decision, the actress said in an official statement, “The plan wasn’t for me to direct the film. I started it as a project that I worked on from the concept level. I wanted to produce it and rope in another director. I was quite busy at that time to even think of direction.”

The fact that she took over the reins of Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi (2019) led her to think of directing Aparajitha Ayodhya. “The script that KV Vijayendra Prasad shared was of a film set on a large canvas, somewhat on the lines of the historical that I have directed before," she said. "My collaborating partners were also keen that I direct it. Eventually, even I felt that maybe it’s best if I helm this film. So, it all happened organically.”

Despite the tough nature of the subject, the actress-director believes that directing Manikarnika was a bigger challenge. “It does not make me nervous. It’s tougher when you have to carry forward someone else’s vision [as was the case in Manikarnika] and find your own vision somewhere in it. In this case, I have worked on this film from scratch, and it’s gratifying and simple once you have the clarity of thought,” she said.

Ranaut also hinted that she might not act in the film. “I want to keep my focus on the film as a filmmaker, entirely. For me, it’s not a controversial subject. I see it as a story of love, faith and unity, and above everything else, it’s a story of divinity,” she added.

Ranaut’s latest film as an artiste was Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s Panga (2020), which also starred Richa Chadha.