The latest controversy is being raked up by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut with her comments deriding several of her industry colleagues. Ranaut is known to speak her mind and this time around did not hold back as she said that Bollywood and its celebrities are being superficial.
In a series of social media blows, Ranaut labelled some of the actors and filmmakers as “pretentious” and “not real.” She had, in fact, alluded to the fact that the very icons in the industry are always more keen on public relations and management of their images than basing their careers on talent and creativity.
Ranaut spoke out this week following recent awards shows and film events from which she stayed conspicuously away from in the recent past. An actor who has notoriously been subpar for such events, Ranaut recently minced no words in saying she personally finds the events of no use – she described them as nothing more than designed showcases that fall short at honoring true talent.
“The industry is full of people who are more concerned with their social media following and paparazzi appearances than with their craft,” Ranaut wrote. “These so-called celebrities are nothing more than glorified PR products.”
Her remarks set off debates, with a large number of her supporters appreciating and endorsing her take on the so-called highly commercial Bollywood. However, industry insiders, in a retaliatory measure, termed the behaviour fanning negativity, causing a split in the film fraternity.
This is not the first time Ranaut has thrown a tantrum on how Bollywood functions from the inside. Earlier, she has raised the issue of chauvinism, favoritism, and a proclaimed bias for the insider lobby in the fraternity over the outsiders. The ongoing feud she keeps with almost all A-list actors and several established directors does that job for her, ensuring she remains the abominable superstar who everyone wants to write about—an unsparing crusader against the industry’s entrenched power structures.
Yet she is unabashed and unapologetic in the face of all the backlash, vowing to continue speaking her mind, calling the industry hypocritical. “I have nothing to lose,” she said. “I am here to stay and I will keep speaking the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may be for some.”
Kangana Ranaut has hardly stopped from her ongoing battle against Bollywood. As she readies herself for her next film, what remains to be seen is how her existing film with Bollywood will now shape up.