Kangana Ranaut wins Mandi: The star who took on Bollywood, leaned into controversies

The Mandi constituency went to the polls in the seventh and final phase of the elections on June 1, 2024. Mandi, comprising 17 assembly segments, has traditionally been a Congress stronghold; however, in the 2019 elections, Ram Swaroop Sharma of the BJP won the seat by a massive margin of over 43%, securing 68.75% of the votes.

Shortly after it was evident that Ranaut has secured the Mandi seat with a margin of over 55,000, the actor told ANI that Himachal Pradesh is her “janmabhoomi” and she will continue to serve people of the state.“So, I am not going anywhere. Perhaps, someone else will have to pack their bags and leave. I am not going anywhere,” she said. Ranaut had previously told Aaj Tak that if she is elected, she would quit the film industry. 

#WATCH | Himachal Pradesh: On Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh’s comments for her, BJP candidate from Mandi and actor Kangana Ranaut says, “…Mandi has not taken kindly to the insults for daughters. As far as my departure to Mumbai is concerned, this (Himachal Pradesh) is… pic.twitter.com/uBuu7UKZL8

— ANI (@ANI) June 4, 2024

Ranaut, known for her outspoken and controversial nature, campaigned extensively in the Mandi constituency, often drawing large crowds. She received the backing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders.

The political win for Ranaut, amusingly, aligns with her nepotism fight which she ignited in the film industry. Defeating Singh, who relied on his family’s legacy and the Congress party’s organisational strength to mount a challenge, fits right in the narrative of her challenging the status quo and generational privilege in the Hindi film industry.

Kangana Ranaut with her mother after the win. (Photo: Kangana Ranaut/Instagram)

Ranaut started her acting career in 2006 with the film Gangster and slowly emerged as one of the finest Hindi film artistes, winning four National Film awards. Her best box office was phase between 2014-2015 when her films like Queen, backed by Anurag Kashyap and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, directed by Anand L Rai went on to become huge hits. Ranaut’s rise and popularity ran parallely to her image of a fierce woman in the industry, not afraid to call out those in power– questioning the nepotistic nature of the industry, its cliques and hierarchy.

While Kangana Ranaut initially earned praise for her stance and outspoken nature, she also slowly started to emerge as a deeply divisive figure of the industry. The actor would court controversies routinely with her statements related to the film industry, co-stars and national politics. The public image of the actor, over the years, took a beating as may dubbed her too controversial.

What also made the matters worse was her dwindling film career, as Kangana Ranaut had consecutive movie releases– but none managed to be box office hits. The actor, who is still searching for a clean hit since 2015, featured in two South films, both of which also bombed at the box office.

The Mandi win, however, would instill a new sense of confidence in the actor as she would now hope to embark on a Kangana Ranaut 2.0 phase of her career.