I have avoided doing a full 101 on Kangana, because I follow a firm rule of “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. There are loads of people that I can look at and hate the sin but love the sinner. With Kangana though, somehow her “sins” are so tied up with her person that I have a hard time separating out “sin” from “sinner”.
Usual Disclaimer: I don’t know this person, I have no special knowledge, this is just how it looks to me based on publicly available sources. Feel free to disagree.
Kangana is mentally ill. I have to start with that because, unlike every other person for whom I do a 101, I will NOT be using the person themselves as the most reliable source. Kangana is an unreliable narrator of her own life. I will be treating her statements about herself as indications of her own desires on how to be seen at that moment, but not as indications of anything related to reality.
A movie star, or really any kind of celebrity, has to be very very good at understanding what the people want from them moment by moment. But for their own mental health, and for real long term relationships professionally, personally, and with their fans at a distance, they also have to have a sense of who they are deep inside.
If we look at, for instance, Aamir Khan, he has reinvented himself multiple times. He started as the kid of a film family doing silly young love stories, and known for practical jokes on set. Then he moved on to taking more control of his career, doing more challenging films, slowing his production schedule so he could focus on each part. And finally he started producing, and only looking at really big BIG roles, in big BIG films that could expand the reach of Indian cinema. This whole time though, Aamir has also remained the same at heart. He is an introvert, he has few close friends in the industry, he works very very hard and is a perfectionist on set, he is a dedicated father and husband. All true, in his personal life and professional life and in the public persona he shares with his fans.
Aamir also has been consistent in what he keeps private. His children take photos when they come with him to parties and events, but he doesn’t talk about them otherwise. His family issues (his estrangement from his father, his brother’s illness) are strictly off limits. With Aamir, as a fan, a media person, any outsider watching, you know where you stand and what to expect.
The same is true of really any celebrity. At the heart of all the madness, there is a logic and there are standards. The media know what they can and cannot ask, the fans know what behavior to expect, even the professional acquaintances know. But Kangana is a unique kind of celebrity because she has no consistency, she has no center at the heart of all her behavior. I think that is also why she can be so disturbing when you look at her up close, at first glance it all appears normal, but as you build a kaleidoscope of all her behavior in different times and places, you realize there is no center to it, no soul (for lack of a better word).
I remember when Kangana started in the industry, she made a big splash as the heroine in a Bhatt film, Gangster. And then she followed it up by stealing Fashion from Priyanka Chopra in the role of the “tragic friend”. Kangana was unusual looking, she came from modeling and knew how to address the camera with her face, and in her first film they were smart enough to lean into her different look, use her big curly hair to immediate effect. Kangana was only a teenager, but she looked older and younger at the same time, kind of removed from time.
After that, I heard about her occasionally as having an affair with Aditya Pancholi, the old dude from Yes Boss. And then maybe having an affair with Ajay Devgan, but Kajol was classy about it and those stories went away. I saw her and enjoyed her in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaii, but her other films were so minor that they didn’t really interest me or make an impression. And then Queen came out, and I read all the buzz, and I saw it and loved her in it. And I read all the stories about how she helped craft the character and write the dialogue and the director/writer asked her to take co-credit because she was so good. I was all in on Kangana! I loved the idea of a woman who takes a film and makes sure it has a female “voice” to it, who helped create this great iconic story.
And then she kind of faded out of awareness for me again. She didn’t have a strong follow up movie, I saw some Katti Batti promo interviews and she looked strained interacting with Imraan Khan, that was kind of odd. Also kind of odd, I read some long interviews with her where she talked about her closest friends in the industry were older, Aamir Khan in particular. That seemed strange to me because I didn’t remember ever seeing them together, and Aamir is known as such an extremely private person with almost no close friends in the industry, why would he be friends with this many years younger actress he had never worked with? But I ignored it, people say lots of things, who knows what was really happening.
Speaking of people saying lots of things, I heard the rumors that she was in a relationship with Hrithik, and also immediately rejected them. Kind of odd timing, right around his divorce, but there were no photos and it was such an odd pairing that it inspired more of a “huh, that’s a weird rumor, would be cool if it was true but it probably isn’t” feeling. Finally the Hrithik story broke, and right away, immediately, I thought she was lying. Because her story made no sense, it could not be true. While his could. On the other hand, most of my friends were firmly supporting her, so I kept my mouth shut. Hrithik was dumb and privileged and a man, Kangana was speaking truth to power, she deserved to be believed.
But how much can I keep my mouth shut? When Kangana reverses herself in her description of her childhood, when she re-aligns her religious beliefs, when she lashes out at random towards co-workers, I can’t keep saying “Well, she’s a woman, she’s oppressed, I should believe her”. Sometimes liars are simply liars, and it doesn’t matter what gender they are.
Kangana is a woman, I think that at least we can be sure about, but her other bonefides for “oppression” are lacking. After Queen, when Kangana found herself suddenly speaking for feminism, she invented a history of oppression for herself. She described how her father cut off contact with her, how she came alone to Bombay as a teenager, how she starved for lack of food because she had so little money when she was starting out. She was fearless and determined and fought for her dream. She rejected the old ways, she wasn’t vegetarian, she wasn’t religious, old patriarchal rural India was keeping her down and new urban modern India was pulling her up.
And then Revolver Rani failed and Ungli failed and Tanu Weds Manu Returns hit, but Katti Batti failed heavily. More generally, there wasn’t a lot of media/social/social media support for Kangana’s “I am an unrepentant feminist who hates her parents” storyline. So she started rewriting it. And at the same time, she appeared on Karan Johar’s talkshow and stumbled onto the storyline of “I am a poor rural girl being made fun of by all these rich educated city folks”. Go back to the show and look at what she says Karan “did” to her. He advised Aditya Chopra not to take her for a movie. And he made fun of her poor English. For the first, is that not okay? Is no one allowed to have an opinion on whether or not she is right for a role? And for the second, similarly, is it not okay to make fun of someone’s accent in private? I can’t recall an instance of Karan making fun of it in public, and surely that video would have appeared by now if it had happened. There is a class element to it, and it is a little bit of a nasty thing to do, but does Karan’s private joke deserve to be pulled out on the public stage and waved around as a public sin?
And yet, people really responded to this Kangana, the one who speaks for all those folks who have been made to feel dumb, made to feel that they didn’t get what they really deserved because of unfair practices. So she leaned into that. And at the same time, erased the previous feminist Kangana. Suddenly she loved and revered her parents and family, her rural childhood was lovely, she was disgusted by eating meat and was a devout vegetarian and Hindu, Indian culture was beautiful and perfect, she was almost effortlessly successful and had a perfect life because you can succeed on merit, Up with Patriarchy and the Establishment!
What is the reality of Kangana? Well, there are very few basic facts. Her family were wealthy local landlords, the type that had an enormous house and 5 cars. They were also powers in the government, had high level appointed posts. Kangana was sent to an excellent English language school, she had every opportunity to learn English and all required urban graces. If she failed to do so, that was not a matter of missed opportunities through class and money, but because she did not have the ability to do it. Nothing wrong with that, but it is wrong to claim class oppression when it is really lack of natural ability. Kangana chose to be an actress, and her parents paid for her to move to Delhi and take acting classes. She left the acting classes and moved to Bombay to be a model and, within months, had landed her breakout role in Gangster. She also started a relationship with Aditya Pancholi, a married man several years older than her who almost certainly abused her (he was constantly rumored to be abusive towards his wife, long before Kangana appeared). This relationship continued past the time Kangana was in Gangster and had established an independent career. She had a brief relationship after that with a single age appropriate man who now has gone public with the way she tortured him during the relationship with fantasies and delusions. After that, suddenly there were stories of her having an affair with Ajay Devgan, culminating in her giving an interview about it. Ajay and his wife Kajol never acknowledged the situation. This was followed by the persistent rumors of a relationship with Hrithik, leading into her public declaration of him as an ex-boyfriend, leading to him sending her a legal cease and desist letter which she chose to make public, leading to him stating that there was a police case involved and he did not want to comment, leading to her giving multiple lengthy interviews about their relationship, leading to him giving one interview outlining his experience with her as a stalker.
Along with Kangana’s confusing personal storyline, there is also her confusing professional one. In 2017, she starred in a movie called “Simran”. When it released, she was listed as the writer of the script and the original writer immediately issued statements through social media about how he felt robbed of credit. He felt that the director and producer bowed to Kangana for fear of her not finishing the film and gave her whatever she wanted. Kangana gave interviews talking about how the script was garbage, worthless, she saved it and saved the film. And she went on to work on her next film, a historic epic Manikarnika. The film was announced, then filming was delayed as they struggled to find a director. A director was announced, also to be producer, and then suddenly he was dropped from the project and Kangana found her own producer. The two of them brought in a new director, a National Award winner from the south with experience in historical films. Then photos were leaked of Kangana directing. A story put out that she was just filling in bits of scenes while the real director was gone. Then a story that she was rejecting director credit but the producers were insisting. Then a story that Sonu Sood had walked out of the film because he refused to have a female director. Finally the film released and, once opening weekend was over, the director Krrish, the star Sonu Sood, and a female co-star all came out with the same stories. Kangana was sweet, nice, good. And then suddenly not, suddenly started accusing them of things, lying to them about other people, the situation became very confused, and at the end of it they were left with their work destroyed while she took all the credit.
When I look at Kangana’s broad sweep of events over the past 14 years since Gangster, this is what I see. In the beginning, she was a normal average young actress. She had modeled a little, she had moved out of home to start a new life in Bombay, she had a relationship that was a bad idea. And that was her career for 8 years. She wasn’t that famous or notable, she had a few good roles scattered among bad ones, no one really noticed or cared who she was dating or what she said in interviews. And then Queen happened, and suddenly people started taking notice. They wanted her to be smart, they wanted her to be a feminist icon, and she wanted the adulation and support, so she changed her personal story to fit. Suddenly people DID care who she was dating, and where she went, and what she said. And from a minor young actress, she became a Star. With all the power that brings with it.
I don’t think stardom made Kangana a liar, or a bad person. As I said at the beginning, I think most celebrities balance their lives, they have things they say and things they don’t say, they have the real true person at the heart of themselves they can cling to. You can be a Star, and still maintain a moral compass and a sense of self. But I think if someone is already damaged, already struggling with that moral compass and sense of self, stardom acts as a big old accelerant to the fire.
The issue is Enabling. Kangana thrives on positive feedback and lashes out when she receives any critiques. As a regular non-famous person, she would be able to acquire positive feedback from new acquaintances, folks who only saw the sweet accommodating competent Kangana. But in her personal life, friends and family would drift away as she simply wore them out. Eventually her career would be affected, co-workers and employers who were tired of covering for her, tired of taking seriously her crazed vendettas. And hopefully, eventually, this would lead her to seek help and look within and find that center that is missing whether through therapy or medication or some other method. But as a celebrity, Kangana is surrounded by millions of fans who have not yet tired of her. She can always find someone to tell her that her behavior is brave, right, good, and true. And on the other hand, Kangana has managed to position herself so that she is a valuable commodity to be used. Her position as “self-made woman” makes her useful to politicians, anyone who wants to argue that Indian women are fine, strong, capable of taking care of themselves. Anyone who wants to argue that the Hindi film industry and other entrenched powers are nepotistic, blind, cliquey, unfair. And so the whole world enables her. Her “fans”, the media, the politicians, they conspire together to blindly believe whatever lie she tells, to encourage her to greater and greater heights, and there is no one there to pull her back, to make her wake up. Or simply to isolate her venom away from people.
Even laughing at her is a form of enabling. She attacks Alia Bhatt for no reason on twitter, ha-ha, that’s funny. Would you feel the same way if she were not famous? If she were a regular person suddenly spewing hate at you? Or your sister or your daughter? Is that funny, or is that scary?
Most alarming to me is the way her Hrithik delusion is enabled. Kangana is a textbook female stalker. And female stalkers are statistically more likely to turn violent than male. And yet every time I write about her on this blog, I find people saying “yeah, but, he really did sleep with her, right?” No, he really really didn’t. Why do you think he did? Kangana is a stalker, stalkers imagine relationships that did not happen, and then they hurt people. Why is there this need to believe her, at all, in some small way? Does it make people feel safer? She won’t attack him, she won’t attack anyone, because she didn’t make it up all the way? But she did. She did make everything up. She is not a healthy person, she does not function like healthy people do, there is something wrong on a deep deep level that cannot be explained by the way the brains of other people work. Her brain is different, her world is different, she is different.
For more writing on Kangana, with additional citations for my arguments, look at the following posts:
https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2019/12/05/101-repost-class-and-film-and-a-little-bit-kangana/
https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2018/08/31/news-update-manikarnika-mess-kangana-cannot-stop-talking/
https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2017/03/07/karan-versus-kangana/
https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2019/05/09/hrithik-kangana-background-reading/
https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2017/10/12/hrithik-and-kangana-the-tv-interview/
dontcallitbollywood 
I was curious who is this “single age appropriate man who now has gone public with the way she tortured him” and man, I now this guy. He was in Haal-E-Dil. I read his interview now and it’s crazy and frightening.
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Yes! I just googled him and found a follow up during the #MeToo thing (which of course Kangana jumped on with her Hrithik hallucination which doesn’t even fit), he talked about how he told his #MeToo story and no one believed him or treated him seriously, because it was a man about a woman.
This is the only Kangana relationship that doesn’t fit the pattern of an older unavailable more powerful and famous man, and based on his stories, it sounds like she is simply not stable. Makes me believe that perhaps none of the relationships after him were “real”, even Ajay didn’t have a minor thing on set that she blew out of proportion, maybe there was never anything.
On Mon, Mar 23, 2020 at 4:08 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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In the interview he said that people told him that she dated him because she needed some respectable boy from good family after her story with Panchooli. And I think it’s true. Being honest I believe every word he said. He gains nothing thanks to this interview, on the contrary, which man would confess he cried after a girl hit him?
I’m a person who loves facts e.g I don’t need much, I only ask: If Kangana and Hrithik engaged in Paris, where are the stamps from the passports? They doesn’t exist, and for me that’s enough.
Also the fact that everyone can have a messy relationship, or problems on set, but if EVERY relation is messy and there are problems on EVERY set, than, I’m sorry but you are the problem and not the others. I’m only mad people don’t see it and still believe every shit she says.
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Ooo, I don’t like hearing that she has a history of violence! I mean, I assumed, because she is a textbook stalker, but it’s scary to have it confirmed. I hope Hrithik and his boys and Suzanne are staying safe, and if he is dating someone right now, good decision to keep it totally completely secret so that unknown person is safe.
On Mon, Mar 23, 2020 at 4:44 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I find Kangana disgustingly fascinating. I think she is a sociopath: no conscience and an endless need for attention. I won’t pay to see any of her films ( I don’t watch for free either but the main point is not to give her revenue). The Hrithik story is so awful. She took advantage of the sad story of his divorce to further herself not the other way around. He didn’t separate because of her; she said they’d had an affair because he was getting divorced. The part I hate is the feminist line. People like Sucharita Tygy the Film Companion critic has consistently defended her.
Minor point: Amir was NOT a good husband— he left the wife of his youth and is mostly seen with his new family.
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As I see it, Kangana’s Hrithik thing was just another delusion, like her Ajay thing, but Hrithik’s divorce gave it traction. Suddenly the media and friends who dismissed the Ajay story after seeing the way Kajol handled it just encouraged Kangana with her Hrithik story. And she loves it, of course. The way she smiles with delight while everyone tells her how brave she is is just chilling.
It sounds dumb, but I do think Aamir is a good husband, except for the divorce. There were only a couple of affair stories with him, right before his marriage ended. And he has been extremely present for his older children and his ex-wife post-divorce. There weren’t stories of abuse, disrespect, bad parenting, any of that.
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Jaan Hines?
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As I said, the only infidelity stories were right as his marriage was breaking up. This is not a guy who was known for hitting on young actresses or having a string of girlfriends. Most of all, this was a guy known for being very private and protective of his marriage and his wife.
On Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 9:35 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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One of my British twitter pals says that he had an affair with a British journalist and there are pics of the son…any truth to this. My twitter pal is a sensible person who is pretty convinced.==mpollak711
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Yep, but the flipside is that she (the woman) has been semi-aggressive in a passive aggressive way about this narrative while Aamir has never addressed it. Her son is a child model, his photos are publicly available, and he does very much look like a young Aamir. She spent a lot of time in India researching a book or something and made a lot of friends in the industry, there is a photo of her and her son with Anupam Kher floating around.
Aamir is super private, based on the fact that he has been a present and responsible parent for his three legitimate children, and we truly don’t know anything, and that the woman (Jessica Hines) seems willing to put her child front and center in a way that is not necessarily what I would expect from a mother, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he has decided no public acknowledgement is what is best for the child, whether or not he is the father. And that if he is the father, he could very well be paying child support and maintaining a relationship that is not for public consumption.
Also, again, this all happened like MONTHS before his divorce was announced, and it is clear that he and his wife were growing apart long before that. She didn’t go to events with him, he was moving into more a public figure role and she was staying behind, they married very young, all of this stuff that in a “normal” person I would find a totally acceptable reason for a divorce so I will accept it from Aamir. He married young, he had one possible affair relationship just before he divorced, over a year after the divorce he started a serious relationship with a woman who shared common interests with him, they eventually married, he has continued to be a parent to all his children, and he and his ex-wife and his current wife and friendly and mature co-parents.
There is this push to make Aamir fit a narrative of “heartless ladies man who abandoned his wife” and it just doesn’t fit the reality at all. One woman who has never officially named him as the father of her child but is constantly hinting at it, and a divorce and second marriage is all there is there.
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While listening to Emraan songs youtube recommended me this song, and I just can’t stop thinking about Kanagana doing black magic on this poor guy.
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I’m distracted by how consistently supportive the Bhatt family was of her career, and how she rewarded them by turning around and attacking Alia. Who does that????
On Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 11:42 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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You are right! I never thought about it. It’s sure she doesn’t know what loyalty means. In fact she and her sister often attack people who support each other in bollywood. They see it as ass licking and nepotism but it’s only simple human way of not treating badly the people with whom one worked or may work in the future.
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Exactly! And at the same time, she expects enormous courtesy towards herself. Why can’t Karan in a private conversation with a close friend and fellow producer give advice on who to hire for a particular role? And on the other hand, why not be courteous to the family that gave you your big break?
On Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 11:54 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I find Kangana compelling in some roles as an actress, whether or not I find the movie compelling, particularly TWM, TWMR, Queen, and Rangoon. I find her public behavior repugnant–personally and politically.
I really don’t think you should be saying definitively that she is mentally ill, though. Even mental health professionals avoid diagnosing someone remotely, who is not their patient. Her behavior patterns indicate that she may not be mentally healthy. That’s all we can say from this very far remove.
On a more gossipy level, I’m intrigued by the relationship between her and her sister. I feel like there could be the potential for a “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?” kind of story based on fictionalized versions of them.
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I am very curious about the relationship between her and her sister too! It seems beyond the usual “enabling because I love her/I profit from her” to some kind of follie ae duex (sp?) thing. I keep waiting for one of them to break from the other, but maybe they are the two people who are closest and would be more likely to break off with the other people in their lives (Rangoli’s husband, Kangana and her parents, something like that) before each other.
From Hrithik’s story, Rangoli originally reached out to him in order to protect Kangana. That is, there was an awareness that her behavior was dangerous to all involved. But once Hrithik turned that around on her and suggested that they get Kangana some help, suddenly Rangoli shut it down and did not want to talk about anything, pretended it was all fine. Is that because Kangana convinced her to believe the same delusion, or is that because Rangoli is torn between protecting Kangana and confronting the reality of what is happening with her sister?
On Tue, Mar 24, 2020 at 12:25 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I feel Kangana became like this because of years of neglect by the industry.If she claims she owes her success to herself alone,she is right.She is one of those few actresses who started as supporting actresses and tasted success because of undeniable acting talent.Media does pander to the self declared “stars”.Looks,elegance,offscreen life and other skills that have got nothing to do with acting is what it takes to become a favourite of media.As an actress,Kangana is an unstoppable force.But while the media was busy applauding Alia for Raazi(her best role so far,but she can still do better.If I say she can do better,I mean it as compliment.But still she is no Meryl Streep)no buzz was created for Kangana’s consecutive best actress national awards(she surpassed literally every expectation in Queen,in a role that can actually be considered as her “career defining performance”).A prime example of media pandering is what happened with Deepika Padukone;when she was actually struggling with her acting abilities they lovingly compared her to Madhubala for Bajirao Mastani(her acting was terrible in an otherwise brilliant movie)but did not have much to say for her actually brilliant performance in Chapaak.Because,you know,she is settled and doesn’t have any rumours surrounding her now.This blind media pandering is responsible for the decline of SRK;he was so good in the 2000s but tanked in this decade because he merely continued to bank on his star power.Kangana is never appreciated for her acting abilities as the media keeps looking for the rising star,er,kids.When she says it herself,she is declared arrogant.She may not be very elegant,attractive or have good dancing skills,but her job is to act which she does flawlessly.Her only shortcoming is her diction and voice modulation,which she has improved in recent times.She may actually be depressed though.She has not been treated well be the media,and maybe she complicated the things by locking horns with them instead of ignoring them like Aamir Khan.Sadly,we don’t care for “actresses”,heroines and stars are what we look for.Maybe it is a shame that Shabana Azmi never became as popular as Hema Malini,Jayaprada,or even Zeenat Aman.We have seen how Rekha did wonders when she dropped being a star and embraced her acting.But nobody except Kangana,and maybe Aamir(in a very subtle manner) calls out the media for its hypocrisy.To be honest,some of the actresses(do they know acting?)the media is so fond of pandering are not half as talented as BBC actors.
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You of course can have your opinion, but I want to point out some contradictions in what you are saying.
Kangana was launched as a leading actress from the start, Alia’s father gave her a dream role in Gangster and she was immediately on her way to fame. The media did not pay much attention to her, good or bad, until after Queen. I truly do not see media persecution, I have been paying attention to Indian film media for over a decade and Kangana got great reviews for Gangster, and off and on for her performances since then, I cannot remember any particular attention good or bad towards her until Queen. As for her not getting credit for her performance, I’m not sure where you are seeing that, I remember universal accolades. Since Queen, however, she just hasn’t had that many great performances or great movies. There has been nothing to praise. That isn’t an opinion, if you look at her filmography, she has had lead roles in decent sized films over and over again, none of them have been either major commercial hits or critical hits, certainly not at the level of Bajirao or Raazi which you mention. Or even Chhapaak. The major hit she had, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, was greatly praised. Beyond that, she just hasn’t been in anything that good.
You mention Shabana Azmi, Shabana never chased fame. She chose to make international low budget art films as much as big budget Hindi productions. Her career tells us that she didn’t want fame, she was happier doing good work. Heck, Shabana herself will say that. Kangana in contrast says that she deserves fame, she should have it. Rather than taking a role in a low budget art film, she will take a role in a high budget Hindi film and then be angry when her performance is not given critical acclaim. Where is Kangana’s Arth? Or Fire? Or “Signature Move”, a movie no one has heard of, a micro-budget American indie film Shabana did two years ago just because she liked the script? Even if we look at her contemporaries, Alia Bhatt took a risk with Highway and again with Dear Zindagi, and Deepika did the same with Finding Fanny. Strange small films that were never going to make a big splash.
Opinions on her talent are subjective, but to say she slowly made her mark in supporting roles is just inaccurate, she started as a lead. And to argue that she was treated unfairly by the media while her contemporaries were praised for the same level of work is also inaccurate, her contemporaries have been in more critically and commercially acclaimed films than she has for the past 5 years at least. Beyond their individually performances, the films themselves just cannot be compared. And Kangana has certainly not acted in a way that indicates she is more interested in being a good actress (like Shabana, or Smita Patil, or even Swara Bhskar) rather than famous.
On Sat, May 23, 2020 at 11:56 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I agree with your opinion.Even I mentioned that she should not lock horns with the media at every instant.Kangana is a very polarizing person,her craft is impeccable but her offscreen life is questionable.But some things she points out are right.And when I say media doesn’t pay her attention I don’t mean they don’t acknowledge her prowess(that’s the critics’ job) but the star tag that comes with popularity is what I am talking about.I didn’t actually intend the comment to be about Kangana,more about the media.I really like Alia myself,because she is so spontaneous in her acting.I meant to target other actors,who get so much fame in the industry despite never clicking right.Jahnvi Kapoor is not a bad actress,but her performance in Dhadak wasn’t special,nor did the movie do well.But everyone created so much hype and if we consider any other actress without an established background will they still get a chance.And I am not talking about “established” as money or connections.Radhika Madan started as a television actress,and her transition to television was seamless.My point is,the industry keeps looking for stars instead of actors.Dharma productions was so good in the 2000’s(the light hearted movies were so much fun!)but then it is turning stale now.The overdose of tropes!My point was the media is more interested in spicy lives rather than ever discussing about the real cinematic merits of the commercial films.I don’t mean that starkids necessarily lack talent,but if they fail in the beginning they get more chances than the others.
Another thing,critics point out strong performances in a weak film.Kangana may not star in good films,but she is still a brilliant actress.I don’t compare her to Shabana Azmi(who is the true “screen goddess”for me).I stand by my opinion that Azmi should get more respect.It is a shame if we need another wave of parallel cinema.Why can’t we watch good films instead of spending our hard earned money on trash?We remember how Prabhas was hyped after the success of Bahubali(stupendous movies,but his performance as an actor was not the best)and didn’t care when Saaho flopped.My point is,why media puts unnecessary focus on commercial success of films?If a movie like Race 3 performs well overseas,it is a shame because nobody cares for Fast and furious when The Parasite exists.Deepika was always hailed as a successful actress,but when she decided to focus on artsy films nobody paid attention to her courage.That is why I don’t compare them to Shabana Azmi-she knew her potential and never let the shine of tinsel town dampen her aura(some of the few masala movies she starred in were so bad,they didn’t deserve to have her).And apart from her acerbic tongue,Kangana fails in choosing the scripts.It would be much better if she starred in the indie films because her acting is her forte,and indie films are a platform to showcase it.But I think(on this opinion I differ from you,which is why I am not stating my preference as a fact)I would not judge an actor based on the movies they star in,more on the acting consistency.Meena Kumari’s best film is no doubt Pakeezah,but her greatest performance remains Chhoti bahu in SBAG.And this is where I find the critics of Indian Cinema fail in their job.They need to point out “xyz audiences will like this movie””this is a total entertainer”for movies.Why do we care for movies more than actors?A poor actor can make Hamlet a charmless character,and a good actor can make Launcelot Gobbo Shakespeare’s greatest fool.Sridevi didn’t get a movie that was perfect in every sense of the word,but her charm was clear even in the most stupid movies.Lamhe is perhaps what comes closest to being a tribute to her.
I actually didn’t defend her.I called her out for engaging in fights with the media,and I did mention feeling she is depressed because of her mood swings.I reiterate my point-why can’t media hype actors instead of stars?We don’t judge musicians,cinematographers,directors and editors on the basis of popularity.Why should a fraction of actors and singers get that treatment.
I am sorry you misunderstood my point(and sorry because even I misunderstood some of your points) but yes,media turns the audiences blind enough to judge the merits on the basis of fame.
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Thanks for replying!
I agree, Indian film reviewing has a long long way to go. Here is a post I wrote trying to codify what was wrong: https://dontcallitbollywood.com/2019/05/03/hindi-film-101-film-companion-stops-using-star-ratings-but-indian-film-reviewing-still-has-a-long-way-to-go/
On Mon, May 25, 2020 at 2:49 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Thanks!I feel if you like Shabana you should watch Mandi.If you consider Arth as her greatest performance,she will surprise you with her no-holds-barred performance in Mandi.It is so good,I found myself watching her mesmerised by her talent,and had to rewind because I forgot I was supposed to be watching a movie and not just Shabana.She isn’t just absorbing,she devours the attention of the viewer.
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