Mumbai:
Actor Kangana Ranaut landed here on Wednesday from Himachal Pradesh, angry and caustic as she took on the Shiv Sena, called her home “Ram mandir”, referred to ‘Bullywood’ and described herself as the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji in a series of tweets and a video. The “Queen” actor, who has been given Y-plus category security from the Centre, was met with black flags and slogans from protesting Shiv Sena workers. But there was support too from workers of the RPI (A) and Karni Sena, who also gathered at the airport.
Addressing Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, Ranaut posted a video message saying his “ego will be destroyed” the way her Bandra home was demolished. The actor said she is working on a project on Ayodhya but now understands the pain of Kashmir Pandits and will also make a movie on their plight.
Ranaut, known for her provocative statements, again compared Mumbai with Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) after the Shiv Sena-led BMC demolished “illegal alterations” at her Bandra bungalow. “Uddhav Thackeray, ‘tujhe kya lagta hai’ (what do you think)?. You think you have taken a huge revenge by destroying my house in collusion with the movie mafia. Today my house is destroyed, tomorrow it will be your ego. The wheels of time keep changing,” she said in a video message in Hindi, referring to the chief minister in the informal ‘tu’ rather than the more respectful ‘aap’.
“… Uddhav Thackeray, this cruelty and terrorism, it is good that it happened to me because there is some meaning to it,” she said in the video. In a series of posts earlier in the day, Ranaut said there has been no “illegal construction” in her house. “… also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bollywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like #DeathOfDemocracy #KanganaRanaut,” the actor tweeted.
In another post, she wrote, “I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again this is why my Mumbai is POK now #deathofdemocracy”. This is the second time she has referred to Mumbai as PoK, a statement that sparked the spat with the Shiv Sena. On Wednesday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told India Today, “I have never threatened Kangana Ranaut, I only expressed my anger at Mumbai being likened to POK, am not responsible for what action BMC takes.. matter is over for me, Kangana is welcome to live in Mumbai.” Ranaut also shared few photographs of BMC officials at her house, with the captions “Pakistan…#deathofdemocracy” and “Babur and his army #deathofdemocracy”.
The actor posted past photos from the building, calling it her own “Ram Mandir”. “Today Babur has come there and history will repeat itself. Ram temple will be broken again but remember Babar, this temple will be built again. Jai Shri Ram,” she tweeted.
Calling herself the daughter of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Ranaut claimed that she was fighting for her “honour and dignity”. “I have lived the courage, valour and sacrifice of Rani Laxmibai through my film. The sad thing is that I am being prevented from coming to my own Maharashtra. But I will follow the path of Rani Laxmibai. I will not get scared or bow down to anyone. I will continue to raise my voice against wrong, Jai Maharashtra, Jai Shivaji,” she said in another post.
Earlier in the day, a BMC team reached the bungalow at Pali Hill in Bandra with bulldozer and excavators and demolished alterations made sans the civic body’s approval. The Bombay High Court, however, stayed the demolition process initiated by the BMC and sought to know why the city civic body entered the property when the owner was not present.
The trouble between the ruling Shiv Sena and Kangana started after the actor said that she feared Mumbai Police more than the “movie mafia” after tne death of Sushant Singh Rajput and likened the Maharashtra capital to Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Reacting strongly to her comment, Raut purportedly said, “We kindly request her not to come to Mumbai. This is nothing but an insult to Mumbai Police.” Hitting back, Ranaut had tweeted last week, “Why is Mumbai feeling like Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir?” PTI
