Kangana Ranaut, who plays Mumbai gang-lord Manya Surve's love interest in Shootout At Wadala (SAW), seems to be the all-time-favourite moll of gangster films. After earning acclaim for her performances in Anurag Basu's Gangster and Milan Luthria's Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai — she played a gangster's girlfriend in both films — Kangana has scored a hat-trick with her latest portrayal in a similar genre, with critics and audience lauding her performance alike.

SAW director Sanjay Gupta especially chalked out the character of Vidya, Manya Surve's love interest, after he learnt about her existence during his interaction with the police while researching on the subject. Though her character was kept under wraps, Kangana ensured Vidya stood out with her portrayal and her on-screen chemistry with John Abraham. Bringing a certain tenderness to the raw machismo in the film, the actress essayed Vidya in a heart-wrenching, true-to-life manner that the National Award winner (Fashion) is known for. All praise for his heroine, Gupta says, "Kangana is the tender soul of a very dangerous and violent world depicted in SAW. And it's amazing how she has portrayed the character of Vidya minus any star trappings. She completely surrendered to the role and made it all her own."

Besides being a powerhouse actress and eccentric style diva, Kangana is also among the most sought after leading ladies, proof of which lies in her line-up of films this year.While she plays a gangster in Sai Kabir's Revolver Rani, Vishwas Rao Patil's Rajjo will see her as a mujrawali. In Vikas Bahl's Queen, Kangana plays a suburban Delhi woman, who goes on a honeymoon all by herself. She also has pivotal roles alongside Hrithik Roshan in Krrish 3 and Emraan Hashmi in Karan Johar's Ungli. Not one to let success get the best of her, Kangana says, "I'm an actress, I get assignments, I do my work and I stay detached from my movies. It's good if a film does well but that's not going to change my attitude or commitment to my work."