Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; September 16, 2017)

Kangana Ranaut calls a spade a spade, a trait that is arguably uncharacteristic in an industry that thrives on fawning and pandering. No wonder then, the actor has often found herself involved in controversies or spats with her colleagues. While her fans have lauded her for daring to take on men in power and being an icon of feminism, there have been those who have conveniently labelled her a man-hater.

Taking the accusation head-on at the Jagran Cinema Summit that was held yesterday in Mumbai, Ranaut said, "I am not a man-hater. In fact, I have more male friends than female ones."

The actor further pointed out that championing the cause of gender equality does not necessarily equate to bashing men. "I am not sure when I became a feminist. The whole perception of inequality and of one being inferior to the other is too bizarre for me to come to terms with. I can't understand it. Feminism is just indicative that the balance between genders is missing from the system, and it's a sorry state to be in."

Ranaut said that her 11-year-long journey in Bollywood has depicted how by and large, the system is biased towards men. "My journey [in the industry] is magical, but magic has its price. Lineage has been restricted within the males of the industry. There is a deep-rooted patriarchy. Showbiz is a fantasy land. It swings between extraordinary, fantastic and tragic."

Elaborating her point, she said, "Certain things are expected of men, but sneered upon when women do it. Consider their sexual lives for instance. Having sex is fun for a man, but for a woman, it's almost criminal. Such is the general perception of the glamour world. Men brag about their Casanova sons, but when it comes to their daughters, she can't be wearing a bikini. [It is okay if] 15 bikini-clad women are hovering around him and his son, but the daughter has to comply with feudal ideas."

Reflecting on her career so far, she spoke about the fleeting nature of success, saying by the time "you get used to success, it's gone." Tracing back to her debutante days, she revealed how her choices weren't appreciated by her near and dear ones. "When Gangster (2006) released, my mother was happy, but my father had his reservations. The depiction of passion [in the film] was unsettling for him."

While acid attack survivor Reshma Qureshi took the fashion world by storm when she walked the ramp in New York this week, back in India, a special court sentenced Preeti Rathi's attacker with the death penalty, reigniting the issue of such rampant incidents in the country. Reshma and Rangoli Chandel (Kangana Ranaut's sister), who is also a survivor, share their stories...
Madhureeta Mukherjee and Hiren Kotwani (BOMBAY TIMES; September 11, 2016)

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's sister, Rangoli faced a brutal acid attack in 2006. She fought back after almost losing an eye and ear, but she still hasn't forgotten the trauma. Today, she's come into her own and works closely with her star sister. But her battle for survival has been horrific. However, she had a great support system in Kangana, her mom and Ajay Chandel, the man who stood by her. Rangoli hails the death penalty, which was announced recently for Ankur Panwar in the Preeti Rathi acid attack case, as a positive development, but doubts if things will change till there are serious checks on the storage and availability of acid.

TAKE ACTION AGAINST THOSE WHO STORE ACID
Rangoli still remembers the trauma of the days and months after the attack. “I almost lost one eye; my windpipe and food pipe were shrinking. I don't remember how many surgeries I went through. Whenever my mother saw me, she would faint. My father couldn't bear to look at me and took to drinking. It's not just the survivor who suffers, but the entire family. I was engaged to an Air Force officer, but once he saw me at the hospital, he never came back. For the first couple of months, I couldn't see myself in the mirror. I'm lucky to have a sister like Kangana, who got me the best treatment possible then,“ she remembers.

This is why she hails the verdict in the Preeti Rathi case as landmark. “With due respect to the honourable judge, this (the death penalty) is the correct verdict. Whoever commits this crime should get the same punishment. No bail, no life term, as they will get out after a few years. But then, acid is still available in the market. The authorities should crack down on people who store and sell it,“ she stresses.

MY SUPPORT SYSTEM HELPED ME SURVIVE
Through that difficult phase, Rangoli found support from the man she married. “My husband, Ajay, whom I knew from my school days, met me after I came out of the hospital. He didn't make me feel different. That also helped me regain confidence. Yoga and meditation helped considerably. Thankfully, my doctor was supportive too, as were Kangana and my mom. My support system helped me survive. Usually, girls get paranoid about just a pimple. For me, this was more than just mental trauma and the pain. You feel numb, you don't know your future,“ she recalls.

It's known that Kangana too was threatened by the attacker and had to seek police security. “This was at a time when she was not a big star. Yet, she diverted her focus to me and my recovery. She spent her earnings on my treatment. The man who attacked me got a seven-year sentence. We were struggling with our lives; we didn't know kya hoga, kaise hoga... But you have to come out of it. You can't be in that mourning zone forever,“ says Rangoli.

Kangana Ranaut, who received her third National Award yesterday, sees the honour as a happy distraction from the personal upheaval that she’s currently going through
MID-DAY (May 4, 2016)

"There has been no single good news for a while, so this feels really special,” Kangana Ranaut told hitlist soon after collecting her third National Award – Best Actress for Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015) in New Delhi yesterday. The actress, who is locked in a messy legal battle with Hrithik Roshan, was however quick to add, “This is special also because of the fact that I got an honour that went to someone like Mr Amitabh Bachchan this year (in Best Actor - Male category for Piku). I&B Minister Arun Jaitley said it was heartening to see the top honour go to actors from two different generations.”

Recounting the day’s events, the actress said they were  shown glimpses of all the award-winning films and she was amazed to see the significant expansion of digital media and the amount of  “good work being done”, especially by women filmmakers.

“But what took me by surprise was that films are being made in Sanskrit. My mother is a Sanskrit teacher and I used to tease her all the time because I didn’t know the language was still valued so much. When I was in Los Angeles, I met an English man who could speak Sanskrit effortlessly and I would feel embarrassed that I didn’t know our traditional language. However, when I go home next, I will access all Sanskrit films that are available,” said Kangana.

Her father, Amardeep Ranaut said it was a proud moment to see her daughter receive her third National Award. “… I am very happy. I am a proud father and it is a matter of great pride”. Sr Bachchan was accompanied by his family to the awards ceremony. His wife, Jaya, children Abhishek and Shweta besides daughter- in-law Aishwarya cheered for the veteran star as he received the honour from President Pranab Mukherjee. This is Bachchan’s fourth National award.

Though ailing, veteran actor Manoj Kumar attended the ceremony on a wheelchair. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke award. Kabir Khan’s Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) bagged the Best Popular Film award. Remo D’Souza received the Best Choreographer award for his Deewani Mastani track in Bajirao Mastani (2015). Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the Best Director title for Bajirao Mastani (2015). S S Rajmouli was awarded for Baahubali (2015) under the Best Film category.