'After Amitabh Bachchan, I get same love and respect in film industry,' says Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut, Bollywood actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s Lok Sabha candidate from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, at a recent rally compared her influence to that of Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi film industry. Ranaut said that she gets the same love and respect as megastar and Shahenshah of Bollywood does in the Hindi film industry.  

She said at a rally in Mandi, "The whole country is surprised, whether I go to Rajasthan, West Bengal, New Delhi, or I go to Manipur, it feels like there is so much love and respect. I can confidently say that after Amitabh Bachchan, if anyone gets such love and respect in the industry, it’s me."

Social media reactions on Ranaut's viral speech

After her speech went viral on X (formerly Twitter), users were quick to flay the actor-turned-politician. "This is the next level of self-obsession. After delivering flop after flop, Kangana Ranaut compared herself to Amitabh Bachchan. Nobody has ever insulted Amit ji like this before," a user wrote. 

"Kangana's last hit film came in 2015 and after that she gave back to back 15 flops. Here, she is comparing herself to Amitabh Bachchan (sic)," another user wrote. "Going by her speeches, Kangana Ranaut may be the first actress in the country to get a national award for her role as an election candidate," yet another user said.

"The shameful thing is that there are people who are actually clapping! It's boo-worthy cringe acting," a user remarked. "Kangana, it's not about how much respect people give you. Either they respect you or don't. Amitabh is legend and you should not compete with his respect. God bless you (sic)," a user said. 

Kangana Ranaut on joining politics

Almost a month back, Ranaut said that her decision to enter politics was not triggered by the poor performance of her films, including her last release Tejas, at the box office. At the time, she said fluctuations in the success of movies are common and cited Shah Rukh Khan's Zero as an example and her own movies like Queen and Manikarnika. 

While speaking to Times Now, Ranaut also said that her upcoming film Emergency could be a big hit. She added that actors are getting more opportunities to showcase their talent due to the rise of OTT platforms. She added that she considers herself and Shah Rukh Khan as the "last generation of stars."