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Bollywood's Queen, Kangana Ranaut's Manali mansion, Kangana Heights, is where the actress is her real self-and which, inadvertently, is the ultimate party house. At 2,000 metres above sea level, the sprawling beauty has got that white-picket-fence charm. Ranaut opened her doors to Architectural Digest India for the first glimpse into her home for the magazine's May - June 2018 cover.
Talking about her interior designer, Shabnam Gupta, who delivered the house to her, turnkey in November 2017, the house-proud Ranaut says, "I gave Shabnam carte blanche, except for the timber ceiling in the living room, which I took a picture of in New York, and sent to her." She chose Shabnam after seeing Irrfan Khan's apartment in the October 2016 issue of AD. "I trusted her with everything. Later in life, I imagine I'll have a clearer idea of my taste in interiors, but for now, I just wanted it finished while I was filming," says Kangana of the interiors that took nine months to install.
Shabnam's interiors are filled with mountain charm. Hand-painted wood paneling in the hallway looks like it belongs in St Moritz, not Manali; there's plaid upholstery, family photos and antique shawls that double as throws. It's the definition of homey.
"I thought this would be a retreat but it's the ultimate party house," she says. "I used to be fiercely private. People used to think I was a witch; that I went home and my house would be filled with dead bodies. That's how few people had visited my house," she says of why AD has been invited in. "I'm changing though. It's okay to be more open."
Her conversation is sprinkled with references to her family, to which she is clearly close. Her father may have supervised buying the land and constructing the house, but it was only Shabnam who had a say in the interiors. "My mum prefers what she calls the 'Dubai style', with chandeliers and lots of glitz. She really wanted me to do at least one 'Dubai' room!" She has an uncle who lives at the end of the street, and her parents are two hours away. "That's close enough," she says, raising her glass--to pragmatism, one assumes.
Interior Stylist: Samir Wadekar
To read the full interview, grab your copy of Architectural Digest India's May - June 2018 issue, out on stands soon. Or head here!
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