Lines from TS Eliot's Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock played in my ears as I entered the set of Manikarnika in ND Studios. "Do I dare disturb the universe…?" It might as well be the motto of Kangana Ranaut's career — the actor is hell-bent on turning every rule in the book upside down. While the industry debate whether she is a wild girl on the loose or a masterclass in the making; I decided to catch up with Ranaut as she donned the director's chair for Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, finding herself in the eye of another storm.

The original director Krish aka Radha Krishna Jagarlamud took off to shoot an NTR biopic in Hyderabad, while Ranaut decided to take the onus of completing the project. Incredibly calm, dressed in blue linen kurta-pyjama, sans any makeup, she sat in front of the monitor, observed every move of the actors like a hawk. "I am sleep deprived," she said and explained her schedule. "I was at Film City last night to check how far the action scenes have advanced. I got back at 2am and have been on set since 7am. But then, this is a biopic of Rani Lakshmibai. It won't be worth it, without blood, sweat, tears and toil..."