Kangana Ranaut has impressed the audience once again with her new movie ‘Manikarnika’. Based on the eponymous queen of Jhansi, ’Manikarnika’ has ably withstood the challenge posed by the mammoth success story of ‘Uri’ and is on the verge of entering the 100 crore club domestically. The current success of this movie also proves that Kangana Ranaut is here to stay.
However, despite the reasonable success of this movie, Kangana is not very happy. She is rather miffed at Bollywood for not supporting her movie the way they do for their own brethren. In a press conference, when asked about whether someone supported her for Manikarnika, Kangana went all out against Bollywood for giving her movie the cold shoulder. To quote her address, “How will it benefit me? I am a three-time National Award winner. At the age of 31, I am a filmmaker. It’s a big deal they’re promoting themselves.”
She further added to an overwhelming response from the crowd, “Is the Rani of Jhansi my ‘chachi’ (aunt? She’s everyone’s queen, so why are these people afraid? Is it because I spoke up against them? Did they lose their senses when I spoke about nepotism? They’ve all ganged up against me.”
She also alleged that Bollywood in its entirety is ganging up against her, especially after co-director Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi accused her of usurping the credit meant for the director. To quote her further, “Industry people are being absolutely obnoxious and ganging up against the film. They are not saying anything and are ignoring it. The racket is so strong that even a small-time actor is secretly messaging me praising the film. You know, they don’t dare write it on social media.”
Kangana has now warned that she won’t spare anyone from Bollywood and she will expose them further. She said, “One thing is for sure, I’m not going to spare anyone. I’ve been calling certain people out on ‘nepotism’ and ‘sexism’ and ‘pay parity’ but I hound them henceforth. Main inki waat laga dungi, ek ek ko expose karungi (I will make their lives hell, and I will expose every single one of them)”
This is not the first time that Kangana Ranaut has indulged in altercations with Bollywood. She shocked the entire industry when she roasted Karan Johar on his very show ‘Koffee with Karan’ for supporting nepotism in the film industry. She has also taken entitled brats like Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhasker heads on, when the two tried to belittle the ‘Me Too’ movement with their vicious agenda. Besides, Kangana also had to grapple with Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and his coterie, who are claiming their share in ‘Manikarnika’.
When asked about the statements of actor Mishti Chakraborty, who spoke in support of Krish and Sonu Sood, Kangana minced no words in her criticism about them. To quote her, “All these character actors who are claiming that they were promised something but did not get it, they are secretly messaging me, ‘Oh, we were told you will get to do solo interviews’ this and that. I blocked them because ‘Are you trying to butter both sides of the toast now?’ So, these people have agendas.”
Kangana further added, “I personally feel that if you have sincere respect for work like I, Ankita (Lokhande), Prasoon (Joshi) or Shankar (Mahadevan) feel, they will not go out in public and attack the film on such an important week. This is sabotage that these people are doing.”
Which side is actually speaking the truth, is something that would require a detailed discussion, but we know one thing for sure. For all her histrionics, Kangana Ranaut is a bold actress who has the guts to call a spade a spade in an industry as hypocritical as Bollywood. Given how elite actors indulge in groupism, it is welcome to know that there is someone, who is ready to fight against such petty politics. We hope that Kangana succeeds in her endeavor to provide better content, and also teach the elite snobs of Bollywood a hard lesson in basic ethics.