Miss Conduct S01 E11: Kangana Ranaut
In this episode, we visit a complaint filed against Kangana Ranaut in Mumbai, Maharashtra, for allegedly making defamatory statements against Javed Akhtar, also part of the Bollywood film industry, but much more – he is 76 years old, born in India when it was still British India, and is a renowned poet, lyricist, screenwriter and political activist.
In July 2020, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, a young Bollywood actor by the name Sushant Singh Rajput passed away, and the police investigation and autopsy ruled it as a suicide.
His death was mourned by many, including the Bollywood fraternity. However, it also became a media circus, with many many conspiracy theories floating around about him, his mental illnesses, his alleged use of recreational drugs, his family, friends and partners, and his relationships with established Bollywood old-timers.
In the midst of this was Kangana, who turned up on national TV to announce that Sushant Singh Rajput’s death was largely caused by friction between him and these established Bollywood producers and screenwriters.
In particular, Kangana’s allegations focussed on the filmmakers Karan Johar and Mahesh Bhatt, along with Javed Akhtar.
Kangana also made additional allegations that the industry had blacklisted her for speaking against nepotism, where kids of already established celebrities were being offered roles that other actors could only dream of.
Also, in 2016, a fellow actor and her former co-star Hrithik Roshan, filed a lawsuit against Kangana for cyber stalking and harassment.
Kangana filed a countersuit stating that she and Hrithik were in fact in a relationship prior to the suit, and he merely filed it to draw attention away from his divorce proceedings.
Kangana alleged that in the middle of all this, Javed Akhtar had called her to his home and threatened her to leave Hrithik’s family alone.
And with all that in mind, Javed Akhtar proceeded to file a criminal complaint for defamation against Kangana.
SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE:
The alleged events:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/javed-akhtar-defamation-case-kangana-ranaut-appears-before-mumbai-magistrate-court-says-she-has-lost-faith-in-it/article36562226.ecehttps://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/exclusives/exclusive-kangana-ranaut-sc-verdict-sushant-singh-rajputs-death-case-my-happiness-knows-no-boundaries
The trial:
On nepotism and her struggles in the industry:
Editorials and opinions:
Some non-official sources: