Kangana was born in the Hindi speaking Ranaut family. Her mother Asha is a school teacher and father Amardeep, a businessman. She has an elder sister, Rangoli and a younger brother Akshit. Her family was initially in Shimla and then moved to Chandigarh where she did her schooling from DAV model school Sector 15 before moving to Shimla.

She completed her high schooling in Shimla. She then moved to Delhi to become a model and theatre actor. She also joined the Elite Modelling Agency situated in Delhi in 2003 with the prospect of becoming a model but was not successful.

Kangana then joined Asmita Theatre group during 2003-2005 as a theatre actor before relocating to Mumbai. She came to Mumbai in early 2004 and struggled initially to get into movies, having failed went back to Delhi to complete her education.

She also joined Asha Chandra's acting school in 2004 to brush herself to face camera. After struggling for nearly two years she met Anurag Basu in September 2005 who gave her a big break.

Birthday: 20th March, 1987 in Bhambia near Manali.

Debut Film: Anurag Basu's Gangster (2006).

Major Impact: Gangster (2006).

Successful Films: Gangster (2006), Woh Lamhe (2006), Life In A...Metro (2007), Fashion (2008).

Awards: Won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for Gangster (2006) and the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Fashion.

Upcoming Films: Roshan and Kites.

Facts we didn't know:

Wanted to be a doctor before starting a career in showbiz.