Kangana Ranaut launches ‘Panga’ amid CAA protests
Actress says people should not be spreading violence over the act
Actress Kangana Ranaut says being violent over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is not a reasonable thing to do in a democracy like India.
“What gives you the right to burn buses, trains and create ruckus in the country? A bus costs around Rs70-80 lakh [Rs7-8 million, Dh360,799-412,341], and that is not a small amount. Have you seen the condition of people in our country? People in this country are dying of hunger and malnutrition. It is not very reasonable for people to indulge in violence,” said Ranaut during the trailer launch of her upcoming film ‘Panga’.
“I also feel that in the name of democracy — this is my very personal opinion — we’re still hooked to the pre-Independence era, where our country was under siege or bondage, and people had captured us by force or the gun. Going on strikes, shutting down the country or not paying taxes against those people was considered cool. But in today’s democracy, your leader is someone from among you. He is not from Japan or China or someplace else,” Ranaut added.
She attended the trailer launch event with the film’s director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, co-star Richa Chadha and composers Shankar Mahadevan and Loy Mendonsa.
Seeking support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said: “Our leader came from a very small place and with a lot of difficulties made something of himself with hard work, and we have won on his merits and he has written everything in his manifesto and then won, and now when he is fulfilling everything he promised, that’s democracy, is it not? So this doesn’t happen, you cannot be a sore loser.”
‘Panga’ is a sports drama that also features Jassi Gill, Neena Gupta and Pankaj Tripathi. The story depicts the struggle of a Kabaddi player.
Talking about title ‘Panga’ (which means to mess around with something), and her experience of messing around with life, Ranaut added: “I think every time in my life I took ‘panga’, I achieved growth. When I was 15 years old, I ended up taking ‘panga’ with my father and that was the most stupid thing to do. It led to a lot of problems in life. But essentially if I hadn’t gone ahead and taken that ‘panga’, I wouldn’t have been here, where I am now. So every ‘panga’ has given a new landmark in my life. I wouldn’t exchange where I am today for anything.”
‘Panga’ is set to release in India on January 24.