Mumbai, August 11 — Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut has hit back at veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah amid the ongoing debate over Bollywood's response to the student protests.
The actress cum politician called Shah a “lomdi” and alleging that he “eats” the country's roti but “fights” for the neighbouring country.
Kangana shared a news report on her social media account featuring actor Piyush Mishra's recent remarks about Shah and his earlier “dog with a bone” comment. She accompanied it with a strongly worded message defending her own position and questioning Shah's commitment to India.
In her post, Kangana wrote, “Sach toh yeh hai har koi kisi na kisi ka kutta hai, lekin mujhe iss baat ka garv hai ki main jis ghar (desh) ki roti khati hoon uski rakhwali karti hoon/ uske liye ladti hoon, Nasir Saab khaate toh iss desh ka hain lekin ladte padose desh keliye hain.
(The truth is, everyone is someone’s dog, but I am proud that I guard and fight for the home (country) whose bread I eat. Nasir Saab eats the bread of this country, but fights for the neighbouring country)
She added, "P.s In today’s time it’s a compliment for humans to be called dog because loyalty and cuteness is so rare I rather be a dog than a lomdi like Nasiruddin.”
The latest attack from Kangana stems from a comment made by Shah while discussing the silence of many prominent Bollywood personalities on the student protests.
Naseeruddin Shah had earlier spoken on why A-list celebrities had not spoken publicly about the demonstrations.
He had said, “They’ll do it when their conscience tells them to. There’s a saying: a dog with a bone in its mouth can’t bark. As soon as the bone drops out of their mouth, or it breaks their teeth, then they will bark.”
His remark was subsequently brought up by Piyush Mishra while speaking in support of students protesting in Ranchi over issues concerning the Jharkhand Public Service Commission.
The actor had questioned which “dogs” with “bones in their mouths” were silent over the JPSC protests, with a clear reference to Shah's earlier analogy.
Kangana had earlier unboxed a box of worms after her repeated criticism of sections of the Gen Z-led student movement.
She had particularly objected to videos from the protests in which some protestors allegedly used abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She subsequently sparked another controversy by referring to a section of youth as “Gutter chap.”