The war of words between Bollywood actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut and director Hansal Mehta has reached new heights, with the two clashing over the furore around comedian Kunal Kamra. Famous for her blunt attitude, Ranaut disagreed with Mehta’s recent remarks on the controversy surrounding Kamra, resulting in a fiery exchange that has drawn social media attention.
Hansal Mehta, the director who has worked earlier with Kangana in Simran, has just spoken about Kamra’s controversy, casting a veiled shadow on freedom of speech during today’s political scenario. Ranaut was not comfortable with what Mehta said and responded via her social media channel, blasting Mehta with double standards and outrage selectiveness. The actress-turned-politician criticized Mehta for the “hypocrisy” in Bollywood, re-igniting the prolonged feud.
Mehta, for his part, stood by his position, repeating his commitment to artistic freedom and criticism of political intervention in creative work. This is not the first time that the two have been at loggerheads—Mehta has publicly expressed his remorse over Simran and his professional partnership with Kangana, while she has consistently referred to his utterances as an attempt to remain relevant.
The recent controversy has again divided Bollywood fans, and Ranaut’s supporters and Mehta’s fans engaged in a heated debate over the internet. As the row rages on, it points to the underlying ideological fault lines of the Indian film industry, where actors, directors, and comedians tend to stand at the intersection of politics and entertainment. Whether this latest row will fizzle out or add fuel to the fire of Bollywood’s culture wars is to be seen.
