Kangana Ranaut's National Award gown is elegant fashion as power statement

Her wonderfully candid opinions have literally broken the Internet. Incredibly articulate on a range of subjects from feminism to menstruation, Kangana Ranaut - the official Queen of the universe - hasn't put a wrong step forward, this year.

In fact, 2016 will always be remembered as her time. From her hugely viewed television interviews to her stylish outing at the National Awards, Ms Ranaut has defined the way Bollywood will view its actresses - or actors, as she prefers to be addressed.

Take the icy-hued Georges Chakra gown worn by her as she stepped into New Delhi's Vigyan Bhavan to collect her award from the President of India. She wore it with an on-trend bob and a berry lip. Her choice of the Beirut-based Lebanese designer might have been determined by her stylist but the decision not to wear a traditional saree was very much her own. She stood out in sharp contrast to Kalki Koechlin's Sabyasachi and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Manish Malhotra sarees.

Was her decision influenced by the fact that the couturier had dressed Academy award-winner Meryl Streep in the iconic fashion film The Devil Wears Prada? We will never know, but what is certain is that she has joined the ranks of celebrities like Dame Helen Mirren, Katy Perry, Blake Lively, Jennifer Lopez, Sofia Vergara, and Tyra Banks who favour Chakra's creations.

And while her bare shoulders made sure that her outfit grabbed eyeballs, no one questioned the appropriateness of her choice. Not when she had given advance notice in 2015 when she emphatically announced her decision by walking into Vigyan Bhavan in a Bibhu Mohapatra outfit.

Dusky pink, form-fitting with a trailing cape, she told news agencies at the time, "I have been there (at the National Film Awards) before, and unfortunately I wore an anarkali suit that time. The thing is I have that photograph (of the president presenting the award to me) and I look like a 'behenji' (not fashionable). I thought, 'I am a star, so I have to look like a star'".  

In the same interviews she went on to add: "Everyone said that you can't wear Bibhu Mohapatra with a cape and go to this ceremony. I said, 'I don't care! I want a good picture!'. It was fun, but it was quite a task to smuggle a cape to the venue."

Was the choice a deliberate one? Perhaps.

Earlier in the year, Michelle Obama had stepped off Air Force One wearing a floral crepe dress with a matching silk and wool jacket designed by Bibhu Mohapatra as well.

Kangana uses fashion smartly. Power dressing for her is not limited to a tailored business suit. She wears the latest designers the way her fashion icons would. With a rare ease and elegance.

Her heroes? Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Morore. Not for her the offbeat youth icons like Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne or Lupito Nyong'o.

As a girl who has worked hard for her success, she uses her clothes to define her career graph. Her last few appearances read like a handbook for fashion. Miu Miu, Gucci, Dior, Sachin and Babi, Red Valentino and Burberry to name a few. She throws in high street brands like Top Shop, Zara and Mango to demonstrate her confidence.

Much like her real life, Kangana has decided to adopt the stance of a differentiator when it comes to style - simply because being an influencer is not enough.