Mumbai: Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, who had once said that she has no desire to explore a career in the West, is now set to make her Hollywood debut with a horror drama.
Bankrolled by Lions Movies, ‘Blessed Be the Evil’ will feature Kangana alongside Tyler Posey and Scarlet Rose Stallone, according to a report in Variety.
The filmmakers selected US locations to “avoid running into any uncertainties stemming from the recently announced Trump industry tariffs”.
Directed by Anurag Rudra, the production of the film will begin later this year in New York.
The synopsis reveals that the film revolves around a Christian couple, who after experiencing a traumatic miscarriage, shifts to an abandoned farm with a dark past, where their love and faith are tested.
The news of Kangana’s Hollywood debut drew mixed reactions from netizens.
Some were happy for Kangana’s new venture, but others mocked her for the U-turn.
One fan wrote, “No hate to her, but honestly, getting meaningful work in Hollywood is extremely difficult. They often cast Indian actors just to tap into the Indian market and then hand them some third-tier role. I genuinely hope that if she does go there, she gets a good opportunity but judging by the experiences of those who’ve gone before her, it usually ends up being more about market appeal than real talent recognition.”
Another commented, “I truly hope everything works out well for her. It could open up so many new opportunities for her, and her acting talent definitely deserves that kind of recognition. She’s one of those rare actresses who genuinely deserves this kind of breakthrough. I just hope it doesn’t turn out like Priyanka’s journey.”
One wrote, “Kangana Ranaut’s talent will truly shine in Hollywood”.
“I wish she didn’t ruin her relationship with Priyanka because Priyanka has been nothing but warm towards her all the time. I hope they can work together in a project there,” one commented.
“She needs to work with Priyanka Chopra in Hollywood,” one wrote.
Referring to Kangana’s tiff with Karan Johar, one user wrote, “Tonight will be a tough night for Karan Johar”.
“Never in my life did I see this coming… KANGANA RANAUT AND TYLER POSEY IN ONE MOVIE? LMAO,” wrote one.
Another joked, “Waiting for international kalesh (feud) now”.
In an interview with Mid-Day in 2017, Kangana had said, “It would be stupid for anyone to make the move to the West now. Their theatre business is crashing because of the influx of digital media. Asia, on the other hand, is where Hollywood was 15 years ago. It is a lucrative time for entertainment here. These are baits that I won’t fall prey to.”
At a press conference in 2021, expressing her concerns over Hollywood films overshadowing Indian films, Kangana had said, “We need to discourage American and English movies as they are taking over our screens. We need to behave like one nation. We need to stop dividing ourselves like North India or South India. We need to enjoy our own films first, be it Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu or Punjabi.”
Then, in 2022, when comedian Kapil Sharma teased her about her debut in Hollywood, Kangana said, “Humare yaha pe itne talented log hai na, to humme kahin aane jaane ki zarurat nahi hai. Ab jaise ki, world has become one place na, to sab log yaha kaam kare, waha ke log yaha pe kaam kar rahe hai. (We have a lot of talent here and don’t need to go anywhere. The world has now become one place now and a lot of people are coming from other places to India and working here).”
