Kangana Ranaut Vs Hansal Mehta: Clash over Kunal Kamra explained

Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta and actor-MP Kangana Ranaut engaged in a tense exchange on social media following the ongoing controversy involving stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, who is facing backlash for his jokes about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Earlier today, Hansal took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend Kamra, writing, “What happened with Kunal Kamra is not new ...” He then recounted a personal experience from 25 years ago, saying he had been attacked for a line of dialogue in his film.

“They vandalised my office, assaulted me, blackened my face, and forced me to apologise by falling at the feet of an elderly woman,” he wrote.

When a user questioned his silence during the demolition of Kangana Ranaut’s office in 2020, Mehta responded, “Was her house vandalised? Did goons enter her premises? Did they do this to challenge her freedom of expression or for alleged FSI violations? Please enlighten me. Maybe I don’t know the facts.”

Ranaut swiftly responded, sharing her side of the story. “They called me names like [expletive], threatened me, served a notice late in the night to my watchman, and the next morning, before courts could open, bulldozers demolished the entire house,” she wrote.

“High Court called the demolition completely illegal. They laughed at it and raised a toast to my pain and public humiliation.”

She didn’t hold back in criticising Mehta personally either.

“It seems your insecurity and mediocrity has not only made you bitter and stupid but it has blinded you as well,” she said. “It’s not some third-class series or atrocious films that you make. Don’t try to sell your dumb lies and agendas here in matters related to my ordeals. Stay out of it.”

Mehta kept his response short, replying: “Get well soon.”

In a separate post, Ranaut also criticised Kamra’s comments about Eknath Shinde, saying that mocking someone’s humble beginnings was inappropriate. She drew a distinction between her case and Kamra’s, claiming, “The 2020 action against me was illegal, but the action against Kamra is legal.”

The exchange reignited comparisons between Ranaut’s 2020 demolition and the current action against Kamra, both of which have stirred debates on freedom of expression, legality, and political influence in Maharashtra.