Kangana Ranaut birthday special: The bold and beautiful 'Queen' who knows how to rule!

New Delhi: The success story of Kangana Ranaut is an inspirational one for many young budding actresses out there who hail from a small town yet embark on a journey to reach the top. It is the sheer talent of Kangana which has taken her where she is today. The powerhouse of talent celebrates her birthday today and turns 31.

Kangy is known for speaking her mind and not mincing any words. Her bold statements have often made headlines straight away. The actress made her smashing debut in Bhatt clan's 'Gangster' (2006) and everyone took notice of this gorgeous Himachali beauty. She even won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut that year.

After that she proved her acting prowess in enacting sheer brilliance on-screen with powerful and emotionally charged up characters in films like Woh Lamhe, Life in a Metro and Fashion. She bagged the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Filmfare Award in the same category for Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Fashion'.

Then came 'Raaz: The Mystery Continues' and 'Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai' where she played the female lead. However, what changed the game for Kangana was Aanand L Rai' 'Tanu Weds Manu' where her desi avatar with a mix of great comic fillers was loved by the audiences.

And after a few not-so-good films, came Vikas Bahl's 'Queen', and Kangana ruled the box office windows. The film went on win many awards out of which the big ones like Filmfare and National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in 'Queen' landed her kitty.

'Queen' literally gave Kangana the kind of appreciation and stardom she deserved for portraying Rani's role brilliantly with so much conviction. She then went on star in Rai's 'Tanu Weds Manu Returns' and this yet again proved her versatility as Kangana starred in a double role where one of the characters required her to play a Haryanvi girl. She nailed the accent and her part so well that the audience was floored by her superlative performance in this Madhavan starrer.

She got third time lucky and won the most prestigious National Award for Best Actress and even Filmfare Critics Award in the Best Actress category. The actress featured in Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Rangoon' recently opposite Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan.

Kangana remains one of the top notch actresses in Bollywood, who the viewers admire and shower with love for immense perfection in her craft.

Here's wishing the 'Queen' a happy birthday!