Hrithik Roshan's Super 30 is a film Kangana Ranaut should support, given its take on nepotism

Kangana Ranaut and her sister Rangoli Chandel are the face of so many ’exposes’ in the film Hindi film industry, that it’s difficult Keeping Up With The Ranauts.

This khaandani khulasa is no longer limited to the ’nepotism gang’, that the two sisters have named the proteges of Karan Johar, whom Kangana infamously termed “flag-bearer of nepotism”. The latest targets have been Taapsee Pannu, whom Rangoli called a ‘sasti copy’ of Kangana, and PTI reporter Justin Rao , who was publicly ridiculed by Kangana at a press conference of Judgementall Hai Kya.

In fact, singling out Taapsee and Varun Dhawan for not exclusively naming Kangana in their tweets in support of the Judgemetall Hai Kya trailer stems from the lack of support she feels she got for Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. At the success meet of her directorial debut, she expressed disappointment in the industry and vowed to expose every one of them. Her allegations of indifference towards stars like Ranbir Kapoor was indeed valid. In a Mid-Day interview, Ranbir had claimed he does not tweet about politics as often as his father Rishi Kapoor because the state of politics in India does not affect him since he is privileged.

Kangana lashed out at him in another Mid-Day interview, claiming:

“It is embarrassing for any youth to be talking like this. This is the thing about people who’re living exclusive lives. Karan Johar and gang thrive on this attitude. This is where nepotism is coming from. They feel superior to others, and we need to question that. Tanu Weds Manu Returns is still ahead of many films with male heroes. In Manikarnika, they feel intimidated by the kind of action I did. They think that when their action films release, they will be compared to Manikarnika. We can never repay what a farmer does for us. A celebrity should be addressing their concerns. If he doesn’t, he should be condemned. This sort of disassociation is unhealthy. We, as a society, need to decide if these people should be concerned role models or not. You can’t just feed society and assume that’s your only responsibility. The industry is making trash so at least they can justify why they are celebrated beings by talking about the country.”

Kangana has claimed that she has often appreciated the work of her colleagues (Alia Bhatt in Raazi, Shraddha Kapoor in Stree etc). But now, it is time someone remind her that a concept she found very close to her heart has found its way into a film.

Vikas Bahl’s recently released Super 30, starring Hrithik Roshan, is the biopic of mathematician Anand Kumar . The film preaches all that Kangana has been waging a lonely war against. Time and again, the film contests the belief, “Raja ka beta hi raja banega” (the son of a king only will become the king). Super 30 revolves around an initiative founded by Kumar, in which he successfully trained 30 aspiring IIT students from the socially and economically deprived sections of society. His classes competed against the much more sophisticated IIT coaching centers financed by the then-educational minister (played by Pankaj Tripathi). While the initiative faces multiple hurdles in terms of funding, inferiority complex, and organised crime, it has managed to sustain itself to date, as the real-life story of Kumar suggests.

Super 30 sounds like a film that Kangana would support, given her admiration for outsiders who break into the system. For example, she is an avid supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he was a tea-seller who went on to become the country’s PM. Given that the film’s targets nepotism as a social evil, Kangana would have been the first person to laud Super 30 and its representation of ‘haqdar’ (deserving) people.

It is understandable her support for Super 30 would have come in the way of endorsing its leading man Hrithik Roshan. She has a long, acrimonious history with the star, the most recent instance being Rangoli dismissing Hrthik on Twitter after he called Kangana a bully. In the past, she has also had tiffs with director Vikas Bahl and Anurag Kashyap, who completed the film after his Phantom Films partner was accused of sexual misconduct. Kangana had no reason to support Super 30, save its theme. And she chose not to support it probably because of Hrithik’s presence.

In the past also, she has refused to lend her support to movements because they were led by people who shamed her when she was going through a tough time. Last year, Shabana Azmi started a petition in favour of Deepika Padukone when Karni Sena threatened to chop off her nose. Kangana explained that she did not sign the petition because there was an agenda to Azmi’s move, given her “investment in left wing vs right wing politics”. She also claimed that Azmi assassinated Kangana’s character when she was bullied (by Hrithik). However, later in a talk with Sadhguru , she clarified that Padukone had her full support and that she felt concerned when she received all the threats.

Clearly, Kangana struggles to disassociate the larger picture with the politics of the person fronting the movement/film. Her stand as a film fraternity member enters into conflict with her multiple run-ins with other members in the past. She, like every other industry member, is not immune to conflict of interest. And we do not judge them for that. It is time that Kangana also does not judge them for their choices.