Notes To My Younger Self

If you could bit rewind in a time capsule, would you? We asked Kangana Ranaut and turns out, she has some bardcore life lessons for not just ber 20-year-old version on the cusp of greatness but each of us too

DO: KEEP YOUR TENDENCY TO TAKE PEOPLE AT FACE VALUE.

“Growing up, I had a lot of enthusiasm and unrealistic dreams about my future; I was very aspirational. This was unusual because no one around me – my siblings or my friends – was ambitious. I was a sincere kid and thought I’ll live life by the highest standards.

My outburst as a rebellious kid was sudden. Maybe the trigger was the extreme pressure. I had decided to become a doctor. But when my parents moved to Chandigarh from a small town, and I found myself in an English medium school from a Hindi one, I went from being a star kid to a backbencher. Just before my 12th grade, I had this unbelievable outburst. I just didn’t want to go to school or study.

Because I started out (with modelling and then, acting) so young, I was very naïve and took people at face value. But one solid thing I’d like to tell my younger self is not to change that. You can’t be cynical about life. I was told I shouldn’t trust people easily but I still do. It’s better to trust people and learn a lesson rather than be cynical and not trust anyone at all.”

DON’T: DO DRUGS BY CAVING IN TO PEER PRESSURE.