Lately, Kangana Ranaut has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Though, things weren’t always like this. There was a time when she spoke up for all the right things that she truly believed in.
So, we made a list of all the times Kangana actually made sense in the past.
1. When Kangana Ranaut openly called Karan Johar the flag bearer of nepotism on his chat show Koffee with Karan. While appearing on the show with Saif Ali Khan in 2017 she said:
In my biopic, if it is ever made, you will play this stereotypical Bollywood biggie who is very snooty and completely intolerant to outsiders and flag bearer of nepotism, the movie mafia. You will have a huge part to play in my biopic. I like the antagonist in you in my biopic.
2. When Kangana Ranaut opened up about the harassment she faced when she initially came into the film industry. During the #MeToo movement in 2019 she said:
I was pinched on my butt in the middle of a group and that person was right there, looking at me. It was not even sexual, it was like ‘I did exactly what I was not supposed to do.’ And looking me in the eye like ‘what are you going to do now?’ So, what do you expect?
3. When Kangana Ranaut took a stand against awards shows and decided not to attend them. This is what she had to say during an interview she had given in 2014:
I will not attend award ceremonies as they are merely for commercial purposes.
4. When Kangana Ranaut spoke up about facing discrimination as a girl during her childhood. During an interview with NDTV in 2016 she said:
My parents, I come from a joint family and they had their own pressures on them. They didn’t think of me doing something other than getting married and taking care of my household. Though growing up it didn’t seem something which is wrong, like I thought it’s a matter of fact that being a girl child is a liability on our parents.
5. When Kangana Ranaut stood by her values and rejected multiple fairness cream ads. In an interview in 2016 she said:
Ever since I was a kid, I have never understood the concept of fairness. Especially, in such a case, as a celebrity, what kind of an example would I be setting for younger people? I have no regrets about turning this offer down. As a public figure, I have responsibilities.
6. When Kangana Ranaut openly spoke out about the huge gender pay gap that exists in the film industry and almost in every work space. Here’s what she said during an interview with NDTV in 2015:
My male counterparts are paid thrice the amount. No one can guarantee the success of a film so why such discrimination?
7. When Kangana Ranaut spoke up against bullying in Bollywood. In an interview with IANS she said:
If it’s constructive, it will definitely be something that will add to me and my growth, but if it’s just some sort of mocking or bullying, that’s not criticism… That’s just bullying. I will definitely not tolerate that.
8. When Kangana Ranaut was bold enough to speak out about how every body type needs to be celebrated. In 2016, during an interview with IANS she once said:
There are seasons and reasons when curves are celebrated. Then something changes, on maybe the French runway, and it goes back to being a hanger. So, I think these things are just like a trend… everybody, every shape or size are celebrated like a trend or like a season.
9. When Kangana Ranaut voiced her opinions on feminism fearlessly and stood by it. During an interview with the Indian Express in 2017 she said:
Feminism is the “medicine” in a sick society. My idea of feminism is that it is equality, right? Feminism is not a concept. Feminism is compensation. It is a subject of discussion these days because eventually, we have to emphasise that men and women are same, that only blood flows through our veins like anybody else’s, and there has to be equal pay for equal work. So, feminism is compensation for a lack in the society. We live in a sick society, and feminism is its medicine.
10. When Kangana Ranaut openly spoke about how woman are talked down upon for being sexually active. This is what she said during an interview with NDTV in 2016:
If she’s crazily successful, she becomes a psychopath. If she’s sexually active, she becomes a whore. I’ve played a whore on screen, and my close interaction with prostitutes has allowed me to be extremely empathetic to them.
11. When Kangana Ranaut refused to take the easy route and work with the Khans of Bollywood just to become popular. During an interview in 2017 she said:
Why should I work with the Khans? In the beginning, I wanted to have a conventional, very easy route where I can work with big heroes and be a big heroine. Now I get a lot of offers to work with the Khans. When I wanted work, nobody was ready to work with me. Now that I’m my own hero on the sets, why should I work with other heroes?
12. When Kangana Ranaut spoke up against stereotyping heroines in Bollywood and how it must come to an end. In an interview with NDTV in 2016 she said:
We need to encourage our women for being who they are as opposed to trying to box them and fit them – this one is attractive, this one is behenji types, this one is intellectual and this one is a baddie – a badass who has boyfriends and wears clothes like this.
13. When Kangana Ranaut was bold enough to admit that she was taking tuitions to improve her English despite being mocked and criticised for her accent. She spoke about it during an interview with NDTV in 2016. She said:
People in the industry treated me like I didn’t deserve to be spoken to and I was some unwanted object. I couldn’t speak English fluently and people made fun of me for that. So dealing with rejection became a part of life. I have a tutor who works on my accent and on my language when I get the time.
TBH, we miss this Kangana.