Pooja Pillai is an entertainment journalist with Asian Media Group, where she covers cinema, pop culture, internet trends, and the politics of representation. Her work spans interviews, cultural features, and social commentary across digital platforms.
She began her reporting career as a news anchor, scripting and presenting stories for a regional newsroom. With a background in journalism and media studies, she has since built a body of work exploring how entertainment intersects with social and cultural shifts, particularly through a South Indian lens.
She brings both newsroom rigour and narrative curiosity to her work, and believes the best stories don’t just inform — they reveal what we didn’t know we needed to hear.
Kangana Ranaut says the concept of equality has created a “generation of morons”.
Claims she’s not equal to Ambani, her mother, or even a labourer.
Her current views contradict her 2018 stance on gender equality in cinema.
Actor-MP to appear in a psychological thriller with R. Madhavan.
Kangana Ranaut has courted controversy again, this time with her take on equality. In a recent interview, the actor-turned-politician called the modern idea of equality “a delusion”, claiming it has produced a generation that overestimates itself. The Queen star, now an elected MP from Mandi, also argued that no one is equal to anyone, citing herself, Mukesh Ambani, her mother, and even daily-wage workers as examples of how everyone plays unique roles in society.
Kangana Ranaut speaks on equality and her role as a ParliamentarianGetty Images
‘A child isn’t equal to a woman, and I’m not equal to Ambani,’ says Kangana
In a candid chat with Times Now, Kangana said, “Since the world has started believing that we are all equal, we’ve only produced a generation of morons.” She illustrated her argument by comparing herself to others: “I am not equal to Ambani ji, and he is not equal to me; I have four National Awards. I am not equal to my mother. When I sit next to a labourer, I feel they have far more tolerance than me.”
Ranaut believes this blind chase for equality has blurred the lines between respect and entitlement. “People don’t admire their seniors anymore. They think they’re born perfect,” she said, blaming the notion for younger generations avoiding promotions because they don’t want more responsibilities.
Kangana Ranaut calls equality a flawed idea, claims it’s ruining work ethic in today’s youthGetty Images
Contradicts her earlier views on feminism and gender parity
Kangana’s statements sharply contrast with her previous public opinions. Back in 2018, during a Cannes panel moderated by Prasoon Joshi, she had argued for equal status in the film industry. “An actor and actress do the same job. Why shouldn’t they get equal recognition?” she had said.
She had also described feminism as “compensation” for a flawed society, stating, “Feminism is medicine for a sick society,” and pushed for equal pay and opportunities in male-dominated Bollywood. At the time, she championed the cause loudly, even claiming she rejected films with major male stars like the Khans and Kapoors to stand her ground.
Kangana Ranaut says belief in equality has created a ‘generation of morons’ in viral Times Now interviewGetty Images
Recent backlash for Mandi disaster response
Kangana is also under fire for her comments about the limits of her powers as a Member of Parliament. When asked why she hadn’t provided financial relief to flood-affected areas in Mandi, she told ANI, “I do not have any funds for disaster relief or hold any cabinet post. Our role as MPs is limited to raising concerns.”
Her remarks didn’t sit well with many constituents, but she later clarified that her intent was to “tell people the reality” of how bureaucratic systems work. “I will make sure the Centre helps. I have my limitations, but my party and I will fulfil our promises,” she said.
Kangana Ranaut blames equality for entitlement culture, says no two people are equalGetty Images
On the professional front, Kangana will reunite with Tanu Weds Manu co-star R. Madhavan for a psychological thriller. She is also slated to appear in Sita: The Incarnation, directed by Alaukik Desai, and Bharat Bhagya Vidhata, a socio-political drama helmed by Manoj Tapadia.
Speaking at a business event, she basically said her village roots made it harder.
Directly named SRK, calling him a Delhiite with a convent education.
Threw "brutal honesty" out there as her secret weapon.
You can already imagine the social media frenzy this kicked off.
It's the latest salvo in the whole insider-outsider war that never ends.
Well, she's done it again. Kangana Ranaut, now MP, just reframed the entire Bollywood struggle debate with one comparison. At a recent industry gathering in Delhi, she got to talking about her success. And then she brought up Shah Rukh Khan. Not with nostalgia. She positioned her own journey from a no-name Himachal village as the tougher path against his, what she termed, convent-educated Delhi background, and it obviously sparked reactions online.
Kangana says coming from a small village and being brutally honest shaped her journey in Bollywood Getty Images
So what did she actually say?
Her exact words: "Why did I get so much success?" she asked the room. Classic Kangana, starting with a question she's about to answer herself. "There is probably nobody else who came from a village and got such success in the mainstream. You talk about Shah Rukh Khan. They are from Delhi, convent-educated. I was from a village that nobody would have even heard of, Bhamla." And the punchline is that she believes it's her "brutal honesty" that did the trick.
Kangana calls brutal honesty her secret weapon in the film industryGetty Images
Let's talk about these two different worlds
Look at the facts. Kangana. Bhamla. Left at 15 for Mumbai, a kid with no roadmap. Her fight in the industry is well-documented, every step a battle she talks about. Four National Awards though, that's huge. Then Shah Rukh. Delhi. Lost his parents young, sure. But he cut his teeth on TV, became a name before he even hit films. His Mumbai move in '91 led to... well, to being King Khan. Both stories are about making it from nothing. But nothing means different things depending on your postcode, apparently.
Shah Rukh Khan’s Delhi upbringing gets compared to Kangana’s village struggleGetty Images
And the fallout?
It's a mess online, obviously. You have one side cheering her on for saying the quiet part out loud: that a village girl with no English has a steeper hill to climb than a guy from the capital. Then the other side is just exhausted. They're saying it's a cheap shot, that it diminishes Khan's own loss and grind. Does this debate even go anywhere? It just seems to recycle every few months. But people click. They always click.
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