Kangana Ranaut Questions Bollywood’s ‘Love Affair’ With Pakistan

• Kangana Ranaut has questioned what she described as Bollywood’s continuing “love affair” with Pakistan while defending her criticism of Naseeruddin Shah.
• Ranaut called Shah a “lomdi” (fox) after the veteran actor criticised Bollywood celebrities for their silence over student protests.
• She also accused members of the film industry of showing “hypocrisy” by speaking about protests in Delhi but not, in her view, showing the same concern over events involving job aspirants in Jharkhand.
• Shah had earlier said celebrities would speak when their “conscience” prompted them to, in comments cited in the dispute.
• Ranaut’s remarks come as Partition-themed films, including Main Vaapas Aaunga and Batwara 1947, have been in the spotlight.

Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has intensified her public criticism of veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah, accusing Bollywood of being “obsessed” with Pakistan and questioning why its alleged “love affair” with the neighbouring country has not ended decades after Partition. Her remarks came as she defended calling Shah a “lomdi” (fox) over his comments on student protests.

Speaking to ANI, Ranaut said she believed the film industry had shown a selective response to protests and social issues. She argued that people who had expressed concern over demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar should also speak about the situation involving young job aspirants in Jharkhand.

“The people in the film industry who shed crocodile tears over the Jantar Mantar protests ought to shed those same tears for the children in Jharkhand now,” Ranaut said, referring to the latter group as facing a similar plight.

She then broadened her criticism to Bollywood’s treatment of Pakistan in films, interviews and public statements. “Whether it is their films, their statements, or their interviews, when will this love affair with Pakistan end?” she said, adding that Partition had taken place decades ago and asking why what she characterised as the industry’s “love story” with Pakistan continued.

Why Kangana Ranaut called Naseeruddin Shah ‘lomdi’

The latest comments are part of a broader exchange between Ranaut and Shah that began over the veteran actor’s criticism of celebrity silence around student protests.

Shah had questioned why prominent actors and other public figures had not spoken out. In remarks cited by The Wire, he said celebrities would act when their conscience told them to, using an analogy about a dog unable to bark while holding a bone in its mouth.

Ranaut subsequently criticised Shah on Instagram, saying she was proud to defend the country from which she earned her livelihood while accusing him of supporting a neighbouring country. She later said her description of Shah as a “lomdi” was prompted by what she characterised as an objectionable video and by what she sees as his repeated references to Pakistan.

The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of continuing debate over the treatment of protesters. The Wire reported that Shah was among more than 1,800 artists, writers, academics, social activists and other citizens who signed a July letter supporting protesters at Jantar Mantar and urging them to end a hunger strike.

Ranaut links the dispute to Jharkhand protests

Ranaut has also made the events in Jharkhand central to her criticism of the film industry. She questioned whether young people protesting there should receive less attention than those involved in earlier demonstrations.

She also referred to her own experiences during protests, claiming that people had gathered outside her residence and that some parliamentarians had faced attacks on their vehicles. Those claims were presented by Ranaut in her ANI interview and were not independently established in the supplied material.

The Jharkhand issue has therefore become a second point of contention in the argument, with Ranaut framing the response of Bollywood figures as inconsistent. Her characterisation of the industry’s motives remains her allegation rather than an established fact.

Partition films add context to the controversy

Ranaut’s comments also arrive during a period in which Partition remains prominent in Hindi cinema. Imtiaz Ali’s Main Vaapas Aaunga, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Sharvari, Vedang Raina and Naseeruddin Shah, is set against the Partition of India and Pakistan. The film was scheduled for theatrical release in June 2026 and subsequently became available on Netflix in August, according to current listings and contemporary audience reports.

Shah’s character in the film is connected to Sargodha in present-day Pakistan, a detail that has been cited in coverage linking Ranaut’s remarks to the film’s Partition narrative. The connection, however, does not establish that the film itself prompted her comments.

Another Partition-era film, Sunny Deol’s Batwara 1947, is scheduled to release in theatres on August 14, 2026. The film, produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, was previously titled Lahore 1947.

Ranaut’s latest remarks have thus placed her dispute with Shah within a wider conversation about how Bollywood addresses Pakistan, Partition and political protests. For now, the exchange remains a public war of words, with neither side indicating that the disagreement is close to resolution.