Kangana Ranaut’s box office track record is a worrying sign for Manikarnika

Since her 2014 hit, Queen, Kangana Ranaut has firmly established herself as one of the industry’s top stars. Several reports pegged her salary to be approximately Rs 11 crore per film, making her one of Bollywood’s highest-paid actors. By her own admission, she became “bigger than” her movies, according to an interview to critic Anupama Chopra. But her track record tells a different story altogether. Kangana has appeared in seven films since Queen, which can safely be called a turning point for her. Prior to that, she’d mostly appeared in small films, and attracted a fair amount of acclaim for a few performances (Fashion, Tanu Weds Manu, Life in a... Metro). Just prior to Queen making over a hundred crore at the BO, she’d appeared in Rajjo, which could only manage Rs 2 crore.