The newly released Amazon Prime series Tandav is currently in the eye of the storm for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Just yesterday show’s creator-director Ali Abbas Zafar was made to apologise after police complaints were registered against him and Tandav’s cast. Meanwhile, police have been deployed outside Saif Ali Khan’s Mumbai home who has played the central role in the show.
So pronounced has been the outrage against Tandav that letters have been sent to the I&B ministry and complaints have been filed against Amazon Prime Original for streaming the show. And amid it all, we have Kangana Ranaut, the online authority on all things problematic. Don’t get us wrong here. We don’t say that with a sense of hatred or prejudice. We actually say it with a sense of alarm that the actress’s latest tweet is currently raising.
In a now-deleted tweet, the actress has replied to a comment on how people have ‘stopped taking insults lying down.’ This is what she wrote on Twitter in response to the comment on Monday: “Because even Lord Krishna forgave 99 mistakes of Sheshupala…. pehle Shanti phir Kranti (Silence must be followed by revolution)…. time to take their heads off… Jai Shri Krishan…” And while she might have deleted the tweet after allegations of inciting violence, she continues to defend her “take their heads off” comment.
Now, tell us: what do you understand by the term ‘inciting violence’? From what we understand, it refers to sending hateful messages or provoking the masses to take violent measures. Of course, this is something that gets all the more pronounced in case you happen to be a public figure or celebrity given that you possess the power of moving masses with what you say. We have all seen it in former US President Trump’s case and the recent U.S Capitol breach. The 3 million followers on Twitter should have been reason enough for Kangana to use the platform sensibly and certainly refrain from writing violent messages alluding to people being beheaded.
Sadly, of late, reasoning has been escaping the actress and there is literally no stopping her. She literally sees nothing problematic with her deleted tweet and also defended it earlier today by sharing another person’s tweet where they have tried explaining how ‘take heads off’ is more of an idiom that means ‘to scold or berate someone severely’.
The actress reshared it and wrote, “Jo libru dar ke maare mummy ki god mein ro rahe hai, woh yeh padh lein. Maine tumhara sir kaatne ke liye nahi kaha, itna toh main bhi jaanti hoon ki insects ya worms ke liye pesticide chahiye hota hai (The liberals who are scared and crying to their mothers must read this. I did not ask for you to be beheaded. Even I know that insects and worms need pesticide).”
Umm…. excuse us Kangana but for someone who hates all sorts of protests and movements that are actually happening in India, it’s pretty bold of you to suggest “kranti” for a web-series! Seriously, it wouldn’t hurt to practice what you preach for a moment there. Also, even your defense of the now-deleted violent tweet appears to be pretty aggressive. And to go on defending what you wrote with a tweet from someone else is just weak and hypocritical.
Think of it people: Kangana went on deleting that tweet which she shouldn’t have if she was so sure of its meaning. And if she has, why not own it? Why not accept that she might have gone astray for a moment there. But then again, remember the hell she rose after getting called out by Diljit Dosanjh for confusing a lady in the farmers’ protest for Shaheen Bagh dadi? Perhaps Kangana should take a moment there and just reflect on herself instead of judging everything and everyone for a while. Worth a shot!
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