Kangana Ranaut on CAA stir: Violence isn't reasonable in democracy

Mumbai: Actress Kangana Ranaut says indulging in violence over Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAA) is not a very reasonable thing to do, in a democracy like India.

"What gives you the right to burn buses, trains and create ruckus in the country? A bus costs around Rs 70-80 lakh, and that is not a small amount. Have you seen the condition of people in our country? People in this country are dying of hunger and malnutrition. It is not very reasonable for people to indulge in violence," said Kangana.

"I also feel that in the name of democracy -- this is my very personal opinion -- we're still hooked to the pre-Independence era, where our country was under seige or bondage, and people had captured us by force or the gun. Going on strikes, shutting down the country or not paying taxes against those people was considered cool. But in today's democracy, your leader is someone from among you. He is not from Japan or China or someplace else," said Kangana, at the trailer launch of her upcoming film "Panga". She attended the event with the film's director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, co-actress Richa Chadha, and composers Shankar Mahadevan and Loy Mendonsa.

Seeking support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said: "Our leader came from a very small place and with a lot of difficulties made something of himself with hard work, and we have won on his merits and he has written everything in his manifesto and then won, and now when he is fulfilling everything he promised, that's democracy, is it not? So this doesn't happen, you cannot be a sore loser."

"Panga" is a sports drama that also features Jassi Gill, Neena Gupta and Pankaj Tripathi. The story depicts the struggle of a Kabaddi player.

Talking about title "Panga" (which means, to mess around with something), and her experience of messing around with life, Kangana said: "I think every time in my life I took 'panga', I achieved growth. When I was 15 years old, I ended up taking 'panga' with my father and that was the most stupid thing to do. It led to a lot of problems in life. But essentially if I hadn't gone ahead and taken that 'panga', I wouldn't have been here, where I am now. So every 'panga' has given a new landmark in my life. I wouldn't exchange where I am today for anything."

"Panga" is set to theatrically release on January 24, for the Republic Day weekend.