Kangana Ranaut Says Her Bollywood Struggles Were Tougher Than Shah Rukh Khan’s

The actress compared her journey from a small Himachal village to stardom with SRK’s Delhi upbringing, saying her rise in Bollywood came from being “brutally honest.”

Kangana Ranaut, who will soon complete two decades in the film industry, recently opened up about her challenging journey in Bollywood — and how it compares to that of Shah Rukh Khan. Speaking at a Delhi event, the actress-turned-politician reflected on her humble beginnings and said that her path to fame was even more difficult than SRK’s.

The multiple National Award-winning actress, who was born in the small village of Bhamla in Himachal Pradesh, said, “Why did I get so much success? There is probably nobody else who came from a village and got such success in the mainstream.” Kangana pointed out that Shah Rukh Khan, while also an outsider, hailed from Delhi and had the benefits of being convent-educated. “You talk about Shah Rukh Khan — he is from Delhi, convent-educated. I was from a village that nobody would have even heard of,” she added.

Known for her outspoken nature, Kangana attributed her success to her honesty, saying, “I am brutally honest — not just with people, but with myself too.” Over the years, she has not only carved out a niche as one of Bollywood’s most talented performers but also sparked industry-wide conversations — most notably about nepotism — that continue to shape public discourse around stardom and privilege in Hindi cinema.

While both Kangana and Shah Rukh Khan are celebrated as self-made stars, her comments reignited the long-standing debate over who truly represents the ‘outsider’ in Bollywood. Some fans praised her confidence and resilience, while others felt that both journeys were incomparable given their unique challenges and timelines. Regardless of differing opinions, Kangana’s remarks underline her unshaken belief that she fought her way to success against overwhelming odds — and did so entirely on her own terms.