Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut recently shared a personal episode that she said left her “humiliated” and emotionally shaken. Hopping on to the trend of 2016 throwbacks, the MP rehashed her feud with fashion designer Masaba Gupta via a post on social media. Ranaut alleged that she was explicitly asked not to wear the label’s outfit during her visit to Ram Janmabhoomi.
The actor first alluded to the episode on Instagram, and continued to narrate the full account in a detailed post on X. Kangana said that the memory still made her feel “sick to the stomach”, as she believed the decision was driven by prejudice rather than professional considerations.
Kangana vs Masaba: ‘The hate, the bitterness, the prejudice’
According to the MP, the incident dates back to the time when her film Tejas was nearing release. With promotional activities underway, she asked the same team to arrange for outfits for her trip to Ayodhya, too. Reportedly, Masaba had already sent outfits for her publicity appearances. Kangana further explained, “Masaba sent the clothes to the stylist for my promotions, but when she was told it’s for Ram Janmbhoomi, she told the stylist not to use her clothes.”
The politician further shared that the fashion designer overtly asked her team not to tag Masaba or the brand in the pictures. “She has already paid for the sari from her own pocket, so not to feel bad about it,” is what was allegedly told to Ranaut’s team.
This comes after Kangana had reportedly made a public performance at Masaba Gupta‘s wedding with Madhu Mantena in 2015, and they seemed to be close associates, based on public appearances.
“The hate, the bitterness, the prejudice, how ugly! Still makes me sick to my stomach! (sic),” Kangana expressed.
Kangana further wrote that what puzzled her was that the designer of her brand never acknowledged or shared those images. “Designers usually jump at the chance when celebrities wear their clothes,” she said, suggesting that the silence felt intentional.
‘Felt ashamed and degraded’
Kangana said she had already left Lucknow for Ayodhya when she learned about the objection and had no opportunity to change.
“I felt so humiliated and degraded that I quietly cried in my car,” she wrote, adding that she was later asked not to mention the designer’s name, as was allegedly done with other designers as well.
Selective outrage within industry
Kangana questioned what she described as selective outrage within the film and fashion industries. She took a swipe at what she sees as performative empathy, arguing that public expressions of emotion often coexist with unspoken biases in elite circles.
On the professional front, Kangana was last seen in Emergency, in which she portrayed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.