When the British force her to vacate the palace, she walks gracefully into the village and is welcomed and greeted by a massive parade of villagers led by Jhalkaribai. She proclaims herself as the queen of Jhansi and challenges the British openly. However, Laxmibai surprises everyone as she decides to take over the reins. Gangadhar passes away and the British attempt to annexe the throne. He was renamed as Laxmibai instinctively calls him Damodar Rao. Much to Sadashiv's dismay, his son is not adopted and instead, ‘Anand Rao’, the son of a courtier, is named the heir. Knowing that his death is near, he and Laxmibai decide to adopt a son who will rule Jhansi in future. Gangadhar, at the same time, falls ill too. Her joy however is short-lived as Sadashiv surreptitiously poisons Damodar.
Laxmibai, after a few years, gives birth to Damodar and she is unable to contain her happiness. He is friendly with the British and wants to usurp the throne by hook or by crook. All these developments upset Gangadhar's brother Sadashiv Rao. The marriage takes place and as per the tradition the king gives her a new name – ‘Laxmibai’.
He realises that her brave persona would play a crucial role in giving a tough fight to the British. Dixit Ji is aware that the British is eyeing Jhansi and wants to annexe the kingdom at any cost. Impressed, he asks Peshwa for her hand in marriage with Maharaja of the Maratha ruled princely state of Jhansi, Gangadhar Rao. One day Dixit Ji of Jhansi spots her facing a ferocious tiger fearlessly. She is a favourite of the Peshwa and he has brought her up with lot of love. She is raised by her father, Moropanth and Peshwa Bajirao II in Bithoor. In 1828, Manikarnika is born in the ghats of Varanasi. Ranaut's portrayal of Rani Lakshmi Bai garnered widespread critical acclaim winning her the National Film Award for Best Actress at the 67th National Film Awards. The film opened to a positive critical response. It is one of the highest grossing women centric films in India. The film also became the highest Indian opener in Japan in January, 2020. and the highest first weekend collections for a female driven film in India. It broke multiple box office records for female centric films such as the record for the highest single day earner ever for a female driven film in India previously held by Ranaut's own Tanu Weds Manu: Returns. The film performed well internationally and in India in its theatrical run. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi was released on 3700 screens in 50 countries worldwide on 25 January 2019. Vijayendra Prasad and it was produced by Zee Studios, Kamal Jain, and Nishant Pitti. The film was directed by Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and Kangana Ranaut, the screenplay was written by K. Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language period drama film based on the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.