‘Bitter and stupid’: Hansal Mehta, Kangana Ranaut trade barbs over Kunal Kamra crackdown

Kangana Ranaut hits back

Ranaut did not hold back, recounting a similar ordeal she faced in 2020: “They called me names, threatened me, served a notice late at night, and bulldozed my house before courts could open. The High Court later ruled the demolition illegal.” She then launched a personal attack on Mehta, calling his work “third class” and accusing him of peddling “dumb lies and agendas.”

They called me names like haramkhor, threatened me, served a notice late in the night to my watchman and next morning before courts could open bulldozers demolished the entire house. High court called the demolition completely illegal.
They laughed at it and raised a toast to… https://t.co/eUF54JQqOp

— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) March 25, 2025

Mehta, whose filmography includes critically acclaimed works such as Shahid, Aligarh, and the web series Scam 1992, kept his response brief: “Get well soon.”

Ranaut, who is now a BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal, later criticised Kunal Kamra’s jokes, accusing him of mocking Shinde’s humble background. While she admitted the demolition of her property was “illegal,” she argued the current action against Kamra was justified under the law. The BJP and Shiv Sena-NCP, at present, are part of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra.

Throwback to Ranaut versus Uddhav Thackeray

Ranaut’s feud with the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray dates back to 2020, when she compared Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), sparking a backlash from the then-ruling party. The controversy escalated when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), controlled by Shiv Sena, demolished parts of her office in Bandra, citing illegal alterations.

After the Union government provided her Y+ security, Ranaut arrived in Mumbai from Himachal Pradesh, lashing out at then-Chief Minister in a video message: ““Uddhav Thackeray tujhe kya lagta hai? (what do you think?) My home was demolished today, your arrogance will crumble tomorrow. Thus is the wheel of time, it keeps changing.”

However, this time around Thackeray has defended Kamra, asserting that the comedian had done nothing wrong. “Kamra merely expressed his views. He stated the facts and voiced the public opinion,” he said.

Mehta on brush with political vandalism

In a separate post, Mehta revealed his own experience of political intimidation in Maharashtra, dating back 25 years. “Loyalists of the same political party stormed my office, vandalised it, blackened my face, and forced me to apologise publicly—for a single line in my film. It bruised my spirit and silenced parts of me for years,” he wrote. He condemned all forms of violence and suppression of dissent, calling for dialogue and dignity.

What happened with Kamra is, sadly, not new to Maharashtra. I’ve lived through it myself.

Twenty-five years ago, loyalists of the same (then undivided) political party stormed into my office. They vandalised it, physically assaulted me, blackened my face, and forced me to…

— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) March 24, 2025

Old feud resurfaces

The online spat between Mehta and Ranaut is the latest chapter in their long-running feud. The two had a public fallout after working together on Simran in 2017. The film, which failed to impress both critics and audiences, was marred by creative differences. In a 2022 interview, Mehta called working with Ranaut a “massive mistake.”

“She is a very talented actor, but we didn’t get along. She ended up shooting what she wanted, leaving no room for creative collaboration,” he said. He also remarked that Ranaut had “limited herself” by choosing roles that primarily serve her own self-image.

The Scam 1992 director recalled that by the time the film reached the editing stage, there was nothing left to take over because “the material was exactly what she had shot.”