Kangana Ranaut is an award-winning actress, model, and politician best known for her roles in Bollywood films such as Raaz: The Mystery Continues, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Tanu Weds Manu, and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.
She won National Film Awards for her work in films like Fashion (2008) and Queen (2014), and Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015). She started modeling at the age of sixteen and later ventured into acting. Kangana has carved a niche for herself in Bollywood and is regarded as one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry. Her notable film credits include Dhaam Dhoom, Ek Niranjan, Double Dhamaal, Krrish 3, Revolver Rani, Simran, Rangoon, Thalaivii, Tejas, and Emergency. Kangana serves as a Member of Parliament from the Mandi constituency after her 2024 Lok Sabha win with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). So, who is Kangana Ranaut? Here’s everything you need to know about the actress-turned-politician.
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Kangana Ranaut Biography
Kangana Ranaut was born on the 23rd of March 1987, in Bhambla (now Surajpur), a small town in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, into a Rajput family. She is 39 years old as of 2025.
| Birth Name | Kangana Ranaut |
| Nickname | Kangana |
| Date of Birth | March 23, 1987 |
| Place of Birth | Bhambla, Himachal Pradesh, India |
| Age | 35 years old |
| Sun Sign | Aries |
| Profession | Actress, Model, Director, Politician |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Rajput (Indian) |
Family Background and Early Life
Kangana Ranaut is the daughter of Asha Ranaut, a school teacher, and Amardeep Ranaut, who is a businessman. She has an elder sister, Rangoli, and a younger brother, Akshat Ranaut. Her great-grandfather, Sarju Singh Ranaut, was a Member of the Legislative Assembly, and her grandfather was an officer for the Indian Administrative Service.
Her life changed when a modeling scout from Elite Modeling Agency spotted her in the streets of Delhi and suggested she do modeling for them. It was around that time, her inclination towards acting progressed, and she joined the Asmita Theatre Group, where she trained under the theatre director Arvind Gaur.
She participated in Gaur’s theatre workshop at the India Habitat Centre, acting in several of his plays, including the Girish Karnad-scripted Taledanda. In 2014, she took a two-month screenplay writing course from the New York Film Academy.
Education
Ranaut attended DAV School in Chandigarh, where she took science as her major subject in high school with the intention of pursuing medical science after graduation. Unfortunately, she failed in Chemistry in the 12th grade, which led her to look for other career options. She, then, relocated to Delhi with no idea of what to do further.
Kangana Ranaut Love Life
During her stint as an actress, Kangana Ranaut has dated many Bollywood stars. Back in 2004, she was speculated to be dating Aditya Pancholi, but their relationship wasn’t made public. Tabloids were busy speculating about their relationship that came to the limelight after they moved in together a year later. However, their relationship ended in 2008, in a bitter ending, where both of them accused each other.
After Kangana broke out her relationship with Aditya, she briefly dated Adhyayan Suman in 2008, during the filming of a song O Jaana from Raaz 2. In 2009, she started dating Kintaro Mori, which became public after they were pictured getting cozy at Hrithik’s birthday bash.
She was in a long-distance relationship with British doctor Nicholas Lafferty from 2010 to 2012.
She was also romantically linked with Kunal Deshmukh, Dino Morea, Ajay Devgan, and Hrithik Roshan.
Physical Statistics
| Height | Feet – 5 feet 8 inches Centimeters – 173 cm Meters – 1.7 m |
| Weight | Kilograms – 54 kg Pounds – 119 lbs |
| Body Build | Slim |
| Body Measurements | 34-24-35 |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Shoe Size | 7.5 (US) / 38 (EU) |
| Dress Size | 4 (US) / 36 (EU) |
| Distinctive Features | Curly hair |
Career Overview
Kangana Ranaut’s career spans acting, directing, production, and politics, evolving from outsider to industry force. She debuted in 2006 with Gangster, earning acclaim for her alcoholic role and the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
In 2008, she made her debut in Tamil cinema opposite Jayam Ravi in Dhaam Dhoom, playing the role of a village girl. The same year, she landed her breakthrough role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s female empowerment drama film Fashion, starring as Shonali Gujral alongside Priyanka Chopra, Mugdha Godse, and Arjan Bajwa. The film was well received critically and commercially, earning her the first National Film Awards and the Filmfare Awards, both in the Best Supporting Actress category.
She continued her success streak with Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Queen (2014), and Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015). The latter two earned her National Film Awards for Best Actress.
In 2019, she directed and starred in Manikarnika, for which she won her fourth National Film Award. She played actor-turned-politician J. Jayalalithaa (late) opposite Arvind Swamy (who played M. G. Ramachandran) in Thalaivii (2021), which earned her critical acclaim.
Recently, she starred in films like Chandramukhi 2 (2023), Tejas (2023), and Emergency (2025). In politics, she joined the BJP in 2024, winning the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, and in 2025, she serves as a Member of Parliament.
Brand Endorsements
She has featured in many commercials and print ads for brands including BoroPlus, Livon, Peebok, Lavie, Tata Sky, Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, Levi’s jeans, Marc Jacobs Sunglasses, and Tanishq Jewelry.
Kangana Ranaut Net Worth
With over a decade of experience in acting, Kangana Ranaut has accomplished a net worth of over $13 million. She charges a hefty amount as remuneration per film, and her high-profile endorsement deals, modeling, and promotions add great value to her net worth. She has also invested in gold, real estate properties, and the share market.
Her car collection includes a BMW 7 Series and a Nissan Micra X-Shift. She lives in a 4BHK apartment in a posh area of Mumbai.
Favorite Things
- Food – Dal, rice, berry burst, vegetable
- Drinks – Coffee and red wine
- Cuisine – Italian food
- City – Florence
- Restaurant – Kong Poush
- Actors – Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan
- Idol – Sridevi
- Hair Products – Fabindia Shampoos
- Books – The Story of My Experiments with Truth
Facts
Despite being an actress and having been in the industry for more than a decade, Ranaut hardly watches movies. In an interview, she stated that she had watched about 10 or fewer movies.
Growing up as a non-vegetarian, Kangana later started practicing vegetarianism and was listed as “India’s hottest vegetarian” in a poll conducted by PETA in 2013.
Ranaut has been studying the dance form of kathak from the Nateshwar Nritya Kala Mandir since 2009.
Ranaut is considered a sex symbol and a style icon in India.
She ranked among the top 10 on The Times of India’s listing of the “Most Desirable Woman” for four consecutive years from 2010.
Ranaut was featured on Verve’s listing of the most powerful women of 2010, and in 2012, she was named the “Best Dressed Personality” by the Indian edition of People magazine.
She launched her own clothing line, named Marquee and Venice Cruise, in collaboration with the fashion brand Vero Moda in 2015 and 2016, respectively
Kangana is one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood and the only actress to win four National Film Awards, including three for Best Actress.
She has also won four Filmfare Awards: Best Female Debut for Gangster (2006), Best Supporting Actress for Fashion (2008), Best Actress for Queen (2014), and Best Actress – Critics for Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015).
In 2020, Ranaut was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of India, for her contributions to the arts.
She owns a production company called Manikarnika Films, which was launched in 2020. She produces and directs movies under her own production house.
On 6 June 2024, she was slapped by a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) constable at Chandigarh airport over farmers’ protest remarks.
She has been featured on Forbes India’s Celebrity 100 list multiple times.