Kangana Ranaut Corrects Karan Johar’s Terminology. ‘Badass Card, Not Woman Or Victim’

At least half of Twitter took exception to filmmaker Karan Johar’s comment about actress Kangana Ranaut
playing what he called the ‘woman and victim card’ and now, Kangana has corrected his terminology in an interview with Mumbai Mirror. “I use every card possible. At the workplace, it’s the badass card to fight cutthroat competition. With my family and loved ones, it’s the love card. When fighting the world, it’s the dignity card, and for a seat in a bus, it’s the woman card,” Kangana, 29, told Mumbai Mirror. “Why is Karan Johar trying to shame a woman for being a woman? This kind of talk is demeaning to all women,” she added. At an event in London last week, Karan Johar said he was “done with Kangana playing the woman and victim card” and that if she thinks the industry is “so bad” she should leave.

The filmmaker was responding to Kangana Ranaut calling him “the flag bearer of nepotism” in Bollywood – a charge she made during an appearance on his show Koffee With Karan
. Kangana told Mumbai Mirror,
“I can’t speak for Karan Johar’s understanding of nepotism
. If he thinks that it is restricted to nephews, daughters and cousins, I have nothing to say. But, to say that he chose not to give me work is to mock an artiste. His memory appears to be poor because we worked together in a movie (Ungli), which was produced by him. And quickly realised our sensibilities did not match.”

The backstory, for those who need a refresher.

It all began on Karan Johar’s chat show Koffee With Karan
some weeks ago, where Kangana Ranaut was her usual plain-spoken self. Apart from the ‘flag bearer of nepotism’ comment, the actress also said, “Karan Johar has given me a lot of unnecessary attitude. In my biopic, if ever it’s made, you’ll play that stereotypical Bollywood biggie, who is very snooty and completely intolerant towards outsiders, flag bearer of nepotism, the movie mafia.” Kangana Ranaut was on the show with her Rangoon co-star Saif Ali Khan.

Karan Johar did not respond to Kangana on the show. Later, he told NDTV that he felt like he had been in the war movie The Ghazi Attack
. At the event in London, he noted that he had not edited out anything she said on the show and that he had given her a ‘platform.’

“I’m also at a loss to understand how he gave me a platform by inviting me to be on his show. I’ve been on several platforms before with several global icons. To say he helped me voice my opinions is to discredit me as an artiste and a public personality. And, I think, it should be added here that I was invited to be a part of the show in its fifth season. His team requested my team for months for my dates,” Kangana told Mumbai Mirror.

“I am not fighting Karan Johar, I am fighting male chauvinism,” she specified.

Twitter has been split down the middle, half taking Karan Johar’s side and the other criticising his usage of the term ‘woman card.’

Kangana Ranaut, star of films like Tanu Weds Manu
, Queen, recently featured in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Rangoon, which tanked at the box office despite getting rave reviews. She has won three National Awards.

Karan Johar, 44, is now a father to twins, Yash and Roohi,
born using a surrogate. He last directed Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
and is now all set to produce this Friday’s Badrinath Ki Dulhania
, starring Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan.