Actor Swara Bhasker feels actor-politician Kangana Ranaut getting slapped by a CISF constable at the Chandigarh airport was wrong, but it is time to look at the bigger issues of the country. (Also read: Swara Bhasker reveals ‘big difference’ between Kangana Ranaut and herself: ‘Every time she raised her voice only to…’)
In an interview with Connect Cine, Swara said Kangana has herself justified violence many times through social media.
Swara reacts
Opening up about the incident, Swara said, “Anybody who is a reasonable person will say that whatever happened with Kangana was wrong… There is nobody who will justify the violence or an act of assault which Kangana suffered. So yes, what happened with her was wrong and shouldn’t have happened. It is not right to assault anyone”.
She goes on, “Kangana just got slapped–and even that should not have happened–but at least she is alive, and has her security around. In this country, people have lost their lives, they’ve been lynched to death, shot dead in a train by a security personnel, in riots, security personnel have been recorded beating up people. Jo log ye saare acts ko justify kar rahe hai, woh phir aake Kangana ke case pe hume mat sikhao. (Anyone who justifies these acts should not feel offended in Kangana’s case)”
Swara has worked with Kangana in films such as Tanu Weds Manu and its sequel, Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
She has also called out her former co-star for using social media to justify violence. She picked up the reference of her old tweet defending Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, to explain her point.
The actor feels the problem with the Kangana case is that she “herself has used her platform to justify violence.” Swara brought up tweets by Kangana where she was banned from Twitter once for a post and when she “justified” Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. She asserted that what happened to her was not right, and the one who did faced repercussions of her actions. Now, it is time to look at bigger issues in the country.
The incident at Chandigarh airport
Days after she won the Lok Sabha election in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh under the ticket of Bharatiya Janata Party, Kangana was on her way to New Delhi for a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance that BJP is a part of. She alleged that as she was crossing the security arrangements at the Chandigarh International Airport, a CISF constable named Kulwinder Kaur smacked her on her face. Kangana claimed that the reason was her recent remarks on Khalistan. An FIR was filed against Kulwinder consequently.
After the incident, a host of Bollywood celebrities who’ve had long feuds with Kangana, including her alleged ex Hrithik Roshan, Alia Bhatt, Zoya Akhtar, and Soni Razdan among others liked the post. Veteran actor Shabana Azmi also wrote on X that while she has no love lost for Kangana, she’d condemn the celebration of violence inflicted on her.