Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut made headlines again when she posted on social media a nostalgic picture of her dressed up as Goddess Sita from a play that she had acted in way back in 1997 during school times. The first image looked harmless, but the subsequent explanation made it a political message. In response to ideological attacks on her via social media, the MP from Mandi sent out a message of sarcasm to her ideological critics.
What did Kangana Ranaut post in her nostalgic Instagram story?
The picture taken in 1999, when a stage play of Ramayana was being conducted at Hill View Public School, which is situated at Sarkaghat in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Kangana, who was just 12 then, is seen dressed in the traditional red saree, posing with her classmates who played roles of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman. In fact, she ensured that she tagged all her fellow classmates in the picture, captioning it as “Sweet Memories of Class of 1997.”
But things became more interesting when she posted a cropped picture of only herself, dressed as Sita. She was seen posing with folded hands in a typical gesture of blessings and captioned it as “My aashirvaad to all liberals.”
“Ram-Chandresh Kumari, Hanuma ji-Parul Modgil class of 1997, Hill View Public School (Sarkaghat) District-Mandi… My aashirvaad to all liberals.” — Kangana Ranaut
What triggered Kangana’s latest jibe at political critics?
The timing of the Instagram post corresponds to the ongoing verbal warfare taking place between Kangana and her political rivals in light of the recent protests. The actress-politician was subject to much criticism from the internet following her criticisms of the recent anti-NEET protests and the names she called the protesters.
As part of her reaction to the increased trolling that she was experiencing from political activists, she chose to recall her childhood role as Goddess Sita and use it in a verbal assault, along with her known quick wit, as a way of showing how she did not care about any internet abuse.
How does the Sita photo connect to her professional journey?
Apart from being a reflection of the current political controversies, being Sita is also of greater importance for Kangana’s acting career. Not only that she participated in the production of the play Sita in her high school, but now, after so many years, she has been officially confirmed to be the leading actress in the huge budget film, The Incarnation: Sita, directed by Alaukik Desai.
By showing this old picture, Kangana not only reminds us of her passion for mythological roles but also her tendency to always stand in the middle of pop culture debate.