Kangna Ranaut’s story is an inspiring one. Nine years since she entered the Hindi film industry armed with nothing but her talent, she is a two-time National Award-winner who has disproved the traditional notion that women-centric films do not earn big money. She is now part of an expanding club of actresses peopled by the likes of Vidya Balan, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone who are determined to bust the myth that films cannot be marketed on the strength of their heroine’s name. In our special series on Film and Theatre, Ranaut takes senior journalist and author Anna M.M. Vetticad through her journey from diffident outsider to poised woman of substance.