Once Upon A Time... was full on masala - Kangana

Raaz - the Mystery Continues, Gangster, Woh Lamhe, Fashion, Life In A Metro - If one looks at the repertoire of films that have featured Kangana Ranaut, each of them has required the pretty girl to come up with an intense act. No wonder, it was a welcome relief to see her letting her hair down for a change in her latest release Once Upon A Time In Mumbai.

"I know. For some strange reasons I have not been lent a commercial set up but only the ones that were far more challenging to play", smiles Kangana "It is a fact that I was mostly doing films that were quite intense. On the other hand, OUATIM was full on masala. Yes, to an extent it was a good thing for me as well but then it wasn't a cakewalk either. Playing Rehana required same amount of energy and passion from me as I was the case in my earlier films."

One wonders how though. After all playing a possessed girl (Raaz - The Mystery Continues) or a drug addict (Fashion) would be far more difficult than playing an actress from the 70s, isn't it?

"You have to keep shifting focus actually", reasons Kangana, "Raaz was a complete horror and thriller affair and it required lot from performance perspective. I have not seen a ghost in real life so I had to extend my act from the imagination of Mohit (the film's director). Similarly, Fashion was all about feminine imagination so I had to get into a different world. Same was the case with OUATIM, well literally."

One has to trust Kangana here since she actually had to get into a different world - that of 70s - in the film while playing a top female actor by the name of Rehana.

"So much preparation went into ensuring that the period setting didn't seem fake", says Kangana, "By no means was doing this film any less difficult than other films that I have done. So much research had to go into what was invented when. From the look perspective, I had to be extra careful about my hair and make up. Behavioural aspects had to be taken care too since women in those times used to be far more vulnerable and innocent."

Due to the aforementioned factors, it wasn't quite an easy journey for Kangana who now has half a dozen films either on floors or just about to get kick started.

"For OUATIM, I had to come up with a performance from a different space altogether", says an exhausted Kangana, "It was equally draining when compared to any other film that I have done. All said and done, whether the role is big or small or set in whichever era, as an actor you have to stand up and deliver. Simple."