No Pressure on Us: Kangana on ‘Manikarnika’-‘Thackeray’ Clash

Both films release on 25 January.

Kangana Ranaut at the music launch for Manikarnika.

(Photo: Yogen Shah)

25 January will see the releases of two big biopics — Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Thackeray, which is based on the life of the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

Speaking at the film’s music launch, Kangana, who has co-directed the film with Krish (Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi), denied claims that she faced pressure concerning the clash in dates.

“No one has told us to shift our release date and in fact no one has approached us. It’s a big window and I think two films can easily release. There was no pressure,” she said.

Emraan Hashmi’s Why Cheat India was previously scheduled to release on the same date but will now hit theatres a week earlier on 18 January.

Manikarnika tells the tale of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. It also stars Ankita Lokhande, Jisshu Sengupta, Atul Kulkarni and Danny Denzongpa.