Never thought Kangana Ranaut will become so huge, says Anurag Basu

Noted director Anurag Basu, who launched Kangana Ranaut with the much-loved 2006 release Gangster, recently told Filmfare that he initially felt that she would not be able to make it big in the industry. He said that the actress grew tremendously as she is a fast learner, becoming a star on her own.

"She is a very fast learner. She wants to learn, so the hunger was always there from her very first film. She is a very ambitious girl and she knows where she is going. It's very difficult for an actress to carve a place in this industry. And especially for an outsider. She did it on her own," he said.

Kangana began her Bollywood career with the crime-drama Gangster, co-starring Shiney Ahuja and Emraan Hashmi, impressing fans with her solid performance. Thereafter, she acted in well-received films like Woh Lamhe, Life In A Metro and Fashion, cementing her standing in the industry. After finding success in the initial years, she suffered a big setback when movies such as Shakalaka Boom Boom, Knock Out, Kites and Miley Naa Miley Hum failed to live up to expectations.

She was eventually able to bounce back with the sleeper hit Queen and silenced her critics.

Coming back to Basu, he is awaiting the release of the eagerly-awaited Ludo, starring Abhishek Bachchan. The dark comedy will be his first major outing after the box office dud Jagga Jasoos and this makes it a crucial affair for the Murder director.

Kangana is working on the much-hyped Thalaivi, featuring her in the role of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The cast includes Prakash Raj and Arvind Swami of Roja fame. The AL Vijay-directed biggie is slated to arrive in theatres in June 2020.