Kangana Ranaut reveals a man pinched her butt in public, says women have to be responsible for their safety
Kangana Ranaut has opened up about the #MeToo movement in India and how it changed the landscape, ahead of the release of her film, Manikarnika. Kangana plays Rani Laxmibai in the film, that she has also co-directed.
Kangana, who had accused her Queen director Vikas Bahl of inappropriate behaviour earlier, says people and their attitudes have changed after influential celebs were accused during the #MeToo movement. “People will think twice now because of certain things that were reported. Earlier, everyone knew about some five-six names, but no one was doing anything about it. Today, they are out there exposed. Though that may not seem enough, it has some significance,” she said.
Supporting Rani Mukerji’s stance that women should be taught martial arts to keep themselves safe, Kangana said a woman needs to be responsible for her own safety. She said it was sad that Rani was trolled for her comments.
“Maybe Rani was not able to articulate herself, but if you see the way she leads her life, she is the epitome of women’s empowerment. Anyone who knows her wouldn’t find her weak or timid. There are people who talk a lot, but they don’t necessarily live up to it,” Kangana said.
During journalist Rajeev Masand’s roundtable, Rani had said that “it is important for women to believe in themselves and say that if they don’t want it to happen, it will not happen”. When actor Deepika Padukone, also a part of the discussion, had said not everyone is constructed that way, Rani had said, “Those are the women we need to talk to and tell them, you guys need to change.”
Kangana, citing her own experience, also reiterated that you cannot expect another person to be responsible for your safety. “I was pinched on my butt in the middle of a group and that person was right there, looking at me. It was not even sexual, it was like ‘I did exactly what I was not supposed to do’. And looking me in the eye like ‘what are you going to do now?’ So, what do you expect?
“I think somewhere we should tell the girls that there are a few rules. Don’t say ‘maybe,’ when you want to say ‘no’, it’s important. Your safety doesn’t mean you can do taekwondo and karate. It also means you go to someone who can save you; it may be a teacher, an uncle you trust, a friend, or the Mumbai Police, or go to the media, find a journalist and expose them,” she added.