10 Best Kangana Ranaut Movies You Must Watch, From Queen to Panga

The best Kangana Ranaut movies to watch are Queen, Tanu Weds Manu, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Fashion, Gangster, Panga, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Woh Lamhe and Life in a… Metro. Four of these films won her National Film Awards, and Queen remains her most loved performance.

Kangana Ranaut made her debut in 2006 and went on to become one of the few Hindi film actresses who could carry a film on her own. Since June 2024 she has also been a Member of Parliament, representing Mandi in Himachal Pradesh for the BJP. Here are her ten best films, with what makes each one worth watching.

Kangana Ranaut: quick facts

Item	Details
Debut film	Gangster (2006)
National Film Awards	Four: Fashion; Queen; Tanu Weds Manu Returns; Manikarnika and Panga (shared)
Padma Shri	2020
Political role	Lok Sabha MP from Mandi since June 2024 (BJP)
Latest release	Emergency (2025), which she also directed

1. Queen (2014)

Kangana plays Rani, a shy Delhi girl whose fiance calls off the wedding a day before. She decides to go on her honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam alone, and the trip changes how she sees herself.

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Directed by Vikas Bahl, the film is funny, warm and simple. It won Kangana the National Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and it is still the first film most people name when asked about her.

2. Tanu Weds Manu (2011)

Aanand L. Rai’s romantic comedy pairs Kangana’s bold, rebellious Tanuja Trivedi from Kanpur with R. Madhavan’s quiet NRI doctor, Manu. He falls for her instantly, while she wants nothing to do with an arranged marriage.

The small-town setting, sharp dialogue and Deepak Dobriyal’s comic support made it a hit and set up one of Hindi cinema’s most successful sequels.

3. Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015)

Four years into a troubled marriage, Tanu and Manu split, and Manu meets Kusum, a Haryanvi athlete who looks exactly like Tanu. Kangana plays both women, and the contrast between the two is the highlight of the film.

The double role won her the National Award for Best Actress and the Filmfare Critics Award. It was also a major box office success.

4. Fashion (2008)

Madhur Bhandarkar’s drama looks at the modelling industry through the rise and fall of Meghna, played by Priyanka Chopra. Kangana plays Shonali, a top model whose life falls apart because of addiction and loneliness.

Her role is short but memorable, and it won her the National Award for Best Supporting Actress along with a Filmfare Award.

5. Gangster (2006)

Anurag Basu’s romantic thriller marked Kangana’s debut. She plays Simran, a woman caught between a gangster, played by Shiney Ahuja, and a kind stranger, played by Emraan Hashmi.

The film’s music was a big hit, and Kangana won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. It showed early on that she could handle intense, emotional roles.

6. Panga (2020)

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s sports drama follows Jaya, a former national kabaddi captain who gave up the sport after becoming a mother. Encouraged by her husband and son, she tries to make a comeback in her thirties.

The film is a gentle look at women’s ambitions after marriage. Along with Manikarnika, it earned Kangana her fourth National Award.

7. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019)

Kangana plays Rani Lakshmibai, who led her forces against the British East India Company in 1857. She also shared direction credit on the film.

The battle scenes and the title role drew attention, and the performance was recognised at the 67th National Film Awards together with Panga. Readers who like history on screen can find more in our Entertainment section.

8. Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010)

This Milan Luthria gangster drama is set in 1970s Bombay and stars Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi. Kangana plays Rehana, a film actress who falls for Hashmi’s character, Shoaib.

The film is known for its period look, songs and dialogue. Kangana’s role brought her into mainstream commercial cinema.

9. Woh Lamhe (2006)

Directed by Mohit Suri, Woh Lamhe tells the story of an actress living with schizophrenia and the director who loves her. Kangana plays the lead role of Sana Azim opposite Shiney Ahuja.

The film was widely reported to be inspired by the life of actress Parveen Babi. It gave Kangana an early chance to play a complex, emotionally difficult character.

10. Life in a… Metro (2007)

Anurag Basu’s ensemble drama follows several couples in Mumbai dealing with love, affairs and loneliness. Kangana plays Neha, a young woman in a relationship with her married boss.

The cast included Dharmendra, Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Shilpa Shetty, and the film’s music by Pritam is still popular.

Kangana Ranaut’s recent work

Kangana’s later films, such as Thalaivii (2021), in which she played Jayalalithaa, and Dhaakad (2022), had a mixed response. She directed and starred as Indira Gandhi in Emergency, which was delayed by the censor board and released in January 2025. It was poorly received by critics and did weak business at the box office.

Reports have listed Queen 2 and a thriller with R. Madhavan among her upcoming projects, but no release dates had been announced as of October 2026. For more on public figures, see our People section.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Wikipedia: Kangana Ranaut, IMDb: Kangana Ranaut, Lok Sabha, Parliament of India.