Go Girl!

It's difficult to ignore her; she lights up the screen.

Kangana Ranaut has always fascinated me. She's got spunk, that girl. 'So what?', you may ask, a lot of others do too. But Kangana had spunk when the going was unsteady. She chose roles that went against popular audience perception, at a time when audiences thought far more "conservatively" - and tended to judge (much more than they do now) if you tried a spot of the unconventional. Mind you, she was just starting out and trying to cement her foothold in the industry, and she chose to buck the tried-and-tested trend by not essaying "wholesome" roles; portraying women whose stereotypes common Indian viewers were extremely wary of. When Priyanka Chopra won laurels for Fashion, I thought Kangana stole the show with her 'guest appearance' (remember her catwalk? Piggy Chops could not even hold a candle). In Woh Lamhe (reportedly based on the complicated, real-life romance between director Mahesh Bhatt and 70s screen goddess Parveen Babi), she takes off and throws an item of her clothing (let me not get into exact details here!) on the hero's face, creating quite a stir among the cine-going public. But the sheer panache with which Kangana acted out that sequence was the starring point in the film. I realise now that it goes much beyond her daring to be different. She has presence. Lots of it. It's difficult to ignore her; she lights up the screen. I have not yet watched Tanu Weds Manu Returns as I write this, but I hear she's been the showstopper yet again. Can't wait to watch it. But meanwhile, read about Kangana's reinvention in this issue: from the psycho woman with a warped purposelessness in life to a fulsome comedienne.
Ageing gracefully. Find out why some people are not falling into the 'cosmetic' traps of youth regeneration and opting to take life in their stride as they should: naturally. We call them the anti anti-ageing brigade. Varun Chandran, a young tech millionaire, tells us his rags-to-riches story; where there's a will, there's a way. Dubai-based designer Zena Presley shows us her collection that's based on art. And do check out our last page: memorable lines from Alfred Hitchcock films.
All this and much more. Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend!
Sushmita Bose
Editor