Television actor Ankita Lokhande will make her Bollywood debut in period drama Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi as Jhalkaribai, the legendary woman soldier who rose through the ranks and served as advisor to Rani Laxmibai, the Queen of Jhansi. The first look of the actor in character were recently revealed.
Danny Denzongpa is set to portray Ghulam Ghaus Khan.
Piku actor Jisshu Sengupta’s look as Maharaja Gangadhar Rao has been released. He would be playing Kangana aka Manikarnika’s husband in the film.
In an interview with Mumbai Mirror, Ankita mentioned that she trained in horse-riding and sword-fighting for a month under the supervision of Hollywood stunt director Nick Powell in preparation for the role.
Manikarnika follows the story of Rani Laxmibai, the warrior queen of Jhansi who played an instrumental role in the 1857 revolt against the British. The film has been directed by Krish and produced by Zee Studios in association with Kamal Jain and Nishant Pitti, and stars Kangana Ranaut with Atul Kulkarni, Vaibhav Tatwawaadi, Danny Denzongpa, Suresh Oberoi and Jisshu Sengupta in key roles. It is scheduled to release on Republic Day in 2019.
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