Kangana Ranaut, who is all set to play the role of freedom fighter Rani Laxmi Bai in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, was spotted rehearsing an action sequence for her film. In a photo shared by Kangana's verified fan club on Instagram, the actress can be seen practicing sword fight supported by a harness and by the look of it we can assume something really interesting is in store for us. The comments section is flooded with remarks like: "Unbeatable queen back with big dhamaka" and we can't agree more. Kangana Ranaut had taken up the role of the director for the film's patchwork in the absence of Krish (director of Manikarnika). After the filmmaker got busy with the NTR biopic, co-starring Nandamuri Balakrishnan and Vidya Balan, Kangana decided to direct the remaining portions herself.
Kangana's Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi was trended on again and off again after reports of Sonu Sood quitting at the last moment went viral. According to Sonu's spokesperson, he is currently shooting Rohit Shetty's Simmba for which he is sporting a bearded look. But the 45-year-old actor was been asked by the makers of Manikarnika to sport a clean shaven look to re-shoot a few scenes. Sonu had urged the makers to reshoot the scenes after he completes Simmba schedule, but things didn't work out. Therefore, Sonu Sood decided to quit. Sonu Sood was reportedly playing Sadashivrao Bhau, the commander-in-chief of the Maratha army.
After Sonu Sood released his statement, Kangana came forward with her side of story and said that Sonu Sood 'didn't want to work under a woman director.' Kangana told news agency IANS: "He refused to meet me. He refused to work under a woman director. Even though the team suggested that they have full faith in me, it seems, Sonu had neither dates nor faith."
Manikarnika, which is based on the life and struggles of Rani Laxmi Bai, also stars TV actress Ankita Lokhande. The film is expected to release on Republic Day 2019.
