Harmeet Kaur
Every once in a while, as educators and concerned academicians, we actually need occurrences which go a long way in inspiring our kids to see how important it is for one to be ‘educated’ and ‘informed’. Thursday came with an incident of ‘its’ kind. Actually providing a tough race to the BJP youth wing spokesperson who claimed India received its freedom on a “99-year lease from the British”, actor Kangana Ranaut has recently claimed that India getting freedom in 1947 was a “bheekh”, or alms. Kangana Ranaut kicked off a firestorm for declaring that India attained real freedom in 2014, when the Modi-led government came to power, and describing the country’s Independence in 1947 as bheek . Ranaut had said that the previous governments of the Indian National Congress were an extension of British rule.
What was even worse in the video clip was that some people in the audience were heard clapping on her shocking and outrageous remark. Kangana uttering disgraceful, discreditable stuff is on expected lines, but the people clapping when our freedom fighters and martyrs were being insulted are the wickedest kind of nationalists. Kangana said she'd probably “get ten more cases filed against her after this ‘Navika’ (a dedicated journalist coming from the league of Godi media) told her not to worry. After all, she said, Kangana was in Delhi, and so called “they” were in Mumbai. Though later Times now alienated itself from endorsing the views of Kangana.
The Manikarnika actor, known for inflammatory and often incendiary proclamations, was once again the centre of argument and ire with politicians. Her remarks have flickered wrath among netizens, calling her out for her provocative language. While many said he had insulted the country's freedom fighters and their sacrifice, some politicians demanded the government to withdraw her Padma Shri award. The actress was among 119 people who received India's fourth civilian honour, two weeks after she picked up her fourth National Film Award.
The Congress on Thursday said her remarks are equivalent to ‘treason’ and demanded the government take back the Padma Shri conferred on her recently as she has “disrespected” the country’s Independence movement. Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda called her remarks 'callous'. Many even called for boycotting the actress and her movies. Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe called for sedition charges against Ranaut. Besides the opposition, her remarks were also condemned by the BJP Lok Sabha MP Varun Gandhi.
In a social media post on Saturday, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut said that she will return her Padma Shri award if anyone can prove that she has disrespected martyrs and freedom fighters.
Celebrities are continuously expected to voice their opinions about every socio-political topic there is because of the extent of their reach via their real and reel life. And given how they're an integral part of the society, I think they should. It is a tradition that has been going on since 1968 where Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut led a student protest which shut down the Cannes Film Festival. Such is the responsibility of the celebrities, but celebs like Kananga have made us rethink about the low depths a person can stoop to run the government agenda. She is a perfect example of what one must do for Padma Shri to be bestowed upon and what specific kind of nationalists does our government recognise.