She plays a loud mouthed, tattooed, small town girl in her upcoming film Tanu Weds Manu, but actress Kangana Ranaut says that her inspiration for the role was yesteryear's actress Madhubala.The Bollywood beauty said that when director Aanand Rai first approached her for the role, he told her that the 'sur' (rhythm) of her character is the same as Madhubala.
"Aanand was very clear about the 'sur' he wanted for the character. He told me that when writing the character he had Madhubala in mind. Though different in terms of her look and setting, the spirit of the film and the character are of that era," Kangana told PTI about the film which sees her opposite Madhavan.
The 24-year-old actress put on weight and ditched her trademark glamorous look for the film, which revolves around a NRI doctor who comes to India looking for a bride. And Ranaut said that she was happy about being rid of the trappings.
"The quintessential Bollywood heroine is ultra glam, and Tanu is certainly not that. She is an audacious but very lovable character. She is from a very cultured Kanpur family, who has studied in Delhi University. But then she also likes to shock people and have a bit of fun," said the actress about her character, who has quite a few tricks up her sleeve, including binging on vodka on the day her prospective groom comes to meet her.
The actress said that part of the fun while playing Tanu, was in dressing up.
"Tanu makes heads turn with her style. Reason being that while she loves a contemporary Indian look, she comes with the potential of totally jazzing it up.
"She is someone who can wear a kurta from Kanpur, a skirt from Delhi, a jacket that her uncle has sent to her from London and top it up all with her trademark aviators. I am sure there would be many out there who would be able to identify with Tanu," said Ranaut about her character's style statements.
In her last film, Anees Bazmee's No Problem the actress played a rich fashionista, a polar opposite of Tanu, and Ranaut says that though she did her homework for the former, the latter came naturally.
"I had to do a fair amount of research for the role of Sanjana. I had to figure out how that character would behave and in a given situation, how would she react. For Tanu I did not have to do that because we all know girls like Tanu.
"Especially since I come from the North, I have grown up with people who think like Tanu and also dress up like her. So it was not a role that needed too much research," said the actress.
Also starring Deepak Dobriyal and Eijaz Khan, Tanu Weds Manu releases on February 25.
