Kangana Ranaut stands vindicated today - her passion project, Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, has earned a place in the coveted Rs 100 crore club. That she achieved the feat in her first outing as a director is commendable.

"There was a time when the film's release looked difficult. But after we made the movie, we knew we had a product to be proud of," says the actor-director who has been with the film since its inception. While the period drama locked horns with Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Thackeray upon its release, Ranaut notes that it faced stiff competition from an unexpected quarter.