'No pressure to change Manikarnika release'

Mumbai: Actor Kangana Ranaut, geared up for the release of her next film Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi on the Republic Day weekend, has said no one has requested or pressurised the makers of her film to advance or delay the release of the film, which is clashing with late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray's biographical film Thackeray at the box office.

Earlier, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi, Why Cheat India and Thackeray were scheduled to release on the Republic Day weekend, but the makers of Why Cheat India advanced their release to January 18 when makers of Thackeray requested them to do so.

Asked if Manikarnika makers faced any pressure from the Thackeray team to change the release date of her film, Kangana said: "We haven't been approached by anyone who has requested or forced us either to prepone or postpone release of our film."

"We haven't been pressurised by anyone, so we are very happy that we have got a sort of a big window to release our film on Republic Day weekend. I think two films can easily come on the same day and so far, nobody has pressurised us. It will be completely wrong to say that we have been approached or pressurised to do something that we didn't want to do," she added.

Kangana plays the central character of Rani Laxmibai in the film. She has also directed a few portions of the film.

Sharing her experience of being a part of the film, Kangana said: "I am a very small part of this very big film. Until now, I have always worked in small films but this is actually my first big film... Not because of the budget, not because of the story. It is a big film because of the kind of artists I am getting to work with."

Praising the film's music composers, Kangana said: "It's my first film with Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy. What they have done for this film, I don't think words can explain that. I feel audience will have great time when they will listen to

entire album."