Nationalism is very spiritual: Kangana Ranaut

Actress Kangana Ranaut, who chose to flaunt a traditional Kanjeevaram sari styled with a twist with a corset and gloves at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival at Cannes, said she considers nationalism spiritual in nature.

She said: "I don't know when and how nationalism and being liberal became two different things because nationalism is something very spiritual in nature. When you identify with another being, when you fall in love with someone, it is such an exhilarating feeling. You include them, and you feel one with them. And if you identify with a set of people, that makes your family, right? And then you start to identify with your village, your caste people... It expands your experience of inclusiveness.

"So, nationalism is nothing but identifying with a whole lot of people who have vowed to be in the same constitution or have the same passport or vow to protect the same land. It's nothing but your extended family."

The National Award-winning actress, who is here courtesy a brand association with Grey Goose, wore a gold sari for her bold fashion statement. She was at the India Pavilion with Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and censor board chief Prasoon Joshi.

As forthright as she is in sharing her views, Kangana delved upon some changes that need to be brought about in the way a film set functions.

"Our technicians are hugely devalued and there are people who do stunts... there is no insurance for them. Human life, the way it is treated on sets, it's so sad. Some people have no value of time. Shifts of 8 hours run to 12 hours and some people get so consumed by the so-called fashion and the lack of planning and organising things, that things roll into lunch breaks, snack breaks and there is so much delay... Actors, directors go into their vans, eat on time, they take care of their diet, but the way a unit is treated is definitely something we must look at," said the actress, who directed 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi'.

She said food is another concern.

"There is a difference between the food they get. There's Unit 1, 2, 3... these are petty things. Sometimes the films cost crores. Sometimes films have a huge budget, but because you are used to treat human life in such a crass way, you continue with that tradition without realizing you have the budget for everything, but you just don't want to do it... There should be strict rules for that, and more for human rights," she asserted.

On the changes she has seen in the industry for actresses since the time she stepped into the industry, Kangana said: "I see a lot of change".

"When I started out, after my debut in a very strong role, I was jobless for a considerable time because I was not fitting into the roles that were popular during those days... The singing and dancing, and that was the absolute."