Kangana hasn't hijacked 'Manikarnika...': Producer

Actress Kangana Ranaut was chosen to oversee patchwork and direct some additional scenes for "Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi" after director Krish moved on to his next project, producer Kamal Jain said, seeking to clear the air around the film's production.

The period drama had become the subject of controversy after reports emerged that Kangana had taken on directing responsibilities alongside her role as the lead actress.

Jain said the additional filming was underway at ND Studios in Karjat near Mumbai. According to him, the need for extra shooting became clear after the team reviewed the material from the film's final schedule.

"Once the scenes were written, we approached Kangana for additional dates. But Krish had moved on to his next project by then," Jain said.

He explained that Kangana had been closely involved with the project from its early stages and was therefore considered the most suitable person to handle the additional direction.

Jain rejected suggestions that Kangana had taken over the film without the backing of the production team. He said all decisions regarding the additional shooting were being made with the full support of the producers and studio.

The production team is working on an accelerated schedule as the film was then scheduled to reach theatres on January 25, 2019.

The film also faced a casting change after actor Sonu Sood left the project. While Sood had cited his professional commitments to "Simmba", the development led to a public disagreement after Kangana claimed that he did not want to work under a woman director. Sood denied the allegation.

Jain offered a different explanation for the actor's departure, saying the production team faced difficulties in matching Sood's dates and maintaining continuity because the actor had grown a beard for "Simmba".

"While we managed to get matching dates from Danny Denzongpa, Jishu Sengupta, Ankita Lokhande and others, we got stuck on Sonu's combination dates and continuity look as he has grown a beard for 'Simmba'," Jain said.

As a result, the filmmakers decided to replace Sood, with actor Zeeshan Ayub taking over the role of Sadashiv.

"Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi" is based on the life of Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi and was among the most ambitious period films in Kangana's career at the time. The additional shooting and changes behind the camera consequently attracted considerable attention ahead of its planned release.