Where there is Kangana Ranaut there is controversy, so much so that Kangana and controversy have almost become synonymous with each other. Anything about Kangana Ranaut incites us as we become sure that something controversial is going to be propped up sooner or later. Most of the time it is she who is blabbering accusations against other co-actors from the Hindi film industry and we have even seen the Maharashtra government being on the receiving end in the recent Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case. However, this time we see that things have weaved out differently as we find that Kangana Ranaut has been on the receiving end of some other damsel from the Hindi film industry, who has mocked her speaking skills in the English language. And as some of you might have already guessed the name of the damsel, who has made fun of her speaking skills in the English language, is none other than the ‘Jhakkass’ actor Anil Kapoor’s daughter, actress Sonam Kapoor. A recent video shared from Sonam Kapoor’s interview with Karan Johar on the equally controversial Koffee with Karan show has seen her praising Kangana Ranaut’s sense of fashion and at the same time being harshly critical of her speaking abilities in the English language. Two other videos have also recently surfaced on the internet where it could be seen Kangana Ranaut expresses her disabilities in certain areas and claimed that she has been working as hard as possible to overcome her disabilities in an interview with a journalist and in another video, she could be seen voicing her criticism of Sonam Kapoor. Whatever be it, we wonder whether somebody’s fluency in a language can become the benchmark to judge how successful that person is and whether a lack of fluency in any language can give the license to mock someone publicly.

The Stroking the Fur of the Cat Backwards

It can be safely claimed that the actress Sonam Kapoor has stroked the fur of the cat backwards by making fun of her counterpart in an interview with Karan Johar in his show, The Koffee with Karan, which is infamous for creating controversies, be it the host himself or the guests who attend the show. In one such recent interview, it was seen that the host Karan Johar was asking the actress Sonam Kapoor how would she like to rate the following co-actors regarding their abilities to speak in English. Initially, it was seen that Kapoor shied away from giving any answer by claiming that she did not have any idea regarding anybody’s abilities to speak in English. However, on being repeatedly pursued by Karan Johar, she proceeded, though reluctantly, to answer. She began by taking the name of Kangana Ranaut by praising her kills in fashion but then went on to make fun of her abilities to speak in the language. “A great fashion sense…. With questionable English”, was what she said, though the “English” was prompted to her by Karan Johar. Following this statement, the two of them had a great laugh over the fact that they have been able to mock their biggest critic in the Hindi film industry, especially Karan Johar, after the most infamous interview in his show where he was publicly criticized by Kangana Ranaut as the possessor of the flag of nepotism. We think that Karan Johar laughed a little more. It might be on his ability to get the opportunity to open a return fire on his staunchest and sworn enemy in the Hindi film industry. However, it can be safely said that at least Kapoor, who thinks herself to be perfect and above every kind of human shortcomings, has praised Kangana Ranaut for her fashion sense.

Colonial Hangover or Jealousy

Whether this statement by somebody of the status of Sonam reveals the colonial mindset and hangover that we are suffering from or whether this is professional jealousy in simple terms has not been able to be determined as of now. However, this proves the cheap mentality that we have not been able to forego yet as even after 75 years of its independence from the rule of the British, one Indian judges his or her fellow Indian by his or her fluency in the English language. This is not just shameful but also alarming at the same time as it can create serious psychological disorders in the minds of both the victim and the victor. The victim might start suffering from frequent pangs of low self-esteem and might even fail to courageously face the disabilities and come over them. At the same time, it can create a mentality of superiority in the minds of the victor, who might consider himself or herself superior to everybody just because of mere fluency in a specific language.

In the case of this specific incident that has taken place, it can also be speculated that this is sheer professional jealousy as Kangana has recently been the recipient of a prestigious international award for her exceptionally accurate portrayal of the deceased and former chief minister Jayalalitha in her film, which was titled ‘Thalaivi’, in Japan. We are yet to hear any such news from Sonam.

The ‘Dhaakad’ Reaction from the Bolly ‘Manikarnika’

Known for straightforwardly voicing her opinions, this time also Kangana has not minced words while speaking of the criticism of her abilities to speak in English by Sonam. In one interview with a journalist, she revealed that indeed she has certain problem areas in her life and English is one of them. However, the ‘Queen’ of the Hindi film industry has revealed that she has been working on her inabilities. She has also mentioned that judging an actor by his or her fluency in English reveals the cheap point of view of her co-actor and this can create serious instances of biasedness against talented actors in reality. Not having her words minced anymore, she straightforwardly slammed Sonam through the following statement, “What I earned from years of fights with film mafia is that no outsider will ever be mocked for not speaking English…also that show is officially closed forever…smile emoji.” She has been able to skilfully shut the door in Sonam’s face by mentioning, “Please don’t miss my comeback in the end. Even at 24 after being openly bullied, humiliated and mocked, I showed grace, sophistication, articulation and humility which English-speaking gossipy aunties with so-called great upbringing can never….” Who else could have given such a ‘Dhaakad’ reply other than the ‘Manikarnika’ of the Hindi film industry?

The Takeout

The takeout here is nothing else other than having the basic moral value of respecting somebody and not determining the person’s capabilities just by looking at the person’s English speaking abilities and in any language for that matter. It is worrisome when we ponder when language fluency becomes the benchmark to determine somebody’s talents. Instead of mocking a person for any human shortcoming, creating a space for the proper guidance, motivation and a proper platform for the person can help them unfurl their talents in full colours.