Boldness precedes Kangana Ranaut in a room. The Bollywood actress personifies bold, beautiful and bada** in the literal sense of the word. She is a lioness who roars above any discrimination and holds her own even when being dragged in the dirt. Controversies and conjectures got nothing on this ferocious force who has made it to the Queen’s throne, all by herself. She follows her heart and only her heart alone. Love her or hate her, one thing you cannot do is ignore her courageous unabashed attempts, for Kangana is the hero of her life story.

As Kangana celebrates her 33rd birthday today, we glance upon ten times the Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi star showed us she is the brave revolutionary in real life too.

Did you know Kangana turned down a multi-crore offer to endorse a fairness product? Slamming those dime-a-dozen ads and celebrities who throw their weight behind the creams, she had said, “My sister is dusky, yet beautiful. If I go ahead and be a part of a fairness campaign, then, in a way, I would be insulting her. If I can’t do that to my sister then how can I do it to the entire nation?”

Only a fool would mistake Kangana to be a docile diva. A staunch advocate of equal rights, nothing could bog Kangana down from calling Karan Johar the flagbearer of nepotism. What followed next was a series of mudslinging but none of it affected her.

“I use every card possible. At the workplace, it’s the badass card to fight cutthroat competition. With my family and loved ones, it’s the love card. When fighting the world, it’s the dignity card, and for a seat in a bus, it’s the woman card,” said the Tanu Weds Manu Returns star.

Kangana has always been vocal about causes and issues that need our immediate attention. Calling out the gender wage gap, the actress said she demands certain money but still feels underpaid. Now, how fair is that? #BalanceForBetter indeed.

The entire Kangana – Hrithik Roshan controversy is not news anymore. It all started with a tweet by the actress about a ‘silly ex’ that escalated into a full-fledged dispute, even taking a legal twist. Allegedly, Kangana and Hrithik dated for a while, and later, split. She faced a ferocious backlash for her statements, but kudos to her for holding her ground.

You can blame Kangana for a lot of things, but never for not taking a stand for herself. This revelation, thus, doesn’t come as a shock for she doesn’t let anybody walk her over. More power to you, Queen!

Kangana’s journey in Bollywood hasn’t exactly been a bed of roses. From being labelled a psychopath to a schizophrenic to being accused of performing black magic – she has seen it all. Having faced her fair share of ups and downs, hits and flops and everything in between, Kangana stood her ground like a solid rock and cemented her position as a force to reckon with over the years.

Fighting male chauvinism, gender discrimination, the wage gap, and other disparities single-handedly, it would take more than just good looks and success to woo this Pahadi beauty. She is not the woman you can win over with diamonds, for she picks her own.

Acceptance hasn’t exactly been on Kangana’s bucket list. She knows it takes a struggle and a battle to make your mark in the world, and boy, doesn’t she put up a good fight to attain what she aspires?

Not sure about others in Bollywood, but Kangana has always taken interest in matters of national interest and politics. She even revisited Ranbir Kapoor‘s remarks at the success bash of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi recently. “Ranbir Kapoor was telling somebody, ‘Mere ghar mei toh bijli, paani aata hai (My house gets electricity and water). Why should I (care about) politics?’ You have this house because of this country. It’s the money of the citizens with which you buy a Mercedes. How can you talk like that? This is irresponsible,” she had said.

A rebel, a revolutionary, a riot, a rockstar, and a raging beauty – Kangana is everything bundled into one. She is not you girl-next-door, she is a storm with skin. This Women’s Day we salute the woman she is and hope she continues inspiring millions out there.

All hail, Queen K.

What better way to bring in Kangana’s birthday than watching her blockbuster hits on ZEE5? None!