I felt Kangana was star material which is why I signed her, tells Pahlaj Nihalani!

Actress Kangana Ranaut is in the news again for speaking about Hrithik Roshan in her interviews. She was to debut in ex-CBFC Chairperson and producer, Pahlaj Nihalani’s movie, I Love You Boss (2006) directed by Deepak Shivdasani, which later got shelved, as she signed Anurag Basu’s Gangster. While Kangana did not do the movie, she had previously done a bold photo-shoot for the film’s promotion, wearing nothing but an overcoat. While Nihalani and Kangana parted on friendly terms as Kangana had informed the producer that she was not interested in doing the movie, and had even returned the signing amount, Nihalani too returned all the publicity campaign pictures of Kangana for I Love You Boss.

Fascinatingly, Kangana’s next movie Simran, releases this month on September 15, while Nihalani’s next co-production Julie 2 (written, co-produced and directed by Deepak Shivdasani), releases on October 2.

Pahlaj Nihalani tells that when he met Kangana for the first time, she was as honest and voracious as she is today. “When I first met her, I wanted to cast her in my film. There was something that set her apart even then. I felt that she was star material which is why I signed her. She was very honest, very down-to-earth and sincere in her work. Usske andar mujhe ek quality nazar aayi, aur mujhe achcha lage. Even then she was very open, straight-forward and transparent – she was very candid, there was no hanky-panky about her, and spoke whatever was there in her mind. Kangana has come from Himachal Pradesh aur Himachal ka jo ek acha hawa… Acchi cheezein hota hai… Kangana was like that. There was no Mumbaiyya influence in her… Even then, she had integrity and was exactly as you saw her – much like she is today.”

Speaking about her involvement in I Love You Boss, the producer tells, “Kangana has always been a very hard-working girl. During prepping, she would always discuss the smallest of details of the shoot as she was keen to understand each and everything that went into a film. Kangana also had a very clear and keen mind that grasped everything about detailing and she would keep asking questions… Yeh kya hua, kaise hua…”

The producer confesses that he is in touch with the actress on & off. “I am in touch with Kangana whenever some work arises but I am neither on good or bad terms with her. It's cordial.”