During her recent trip to Varanasi, Kangana Ranaut faced accusations that she had littered the streets after enjoying local street food. A short video that went viral showed the actor–politician eating “tikkiya chole” at a popular food stall, and then tossing what appeared to be a used paper plate near the stall. Critics on social media accused her of being careless and disrespectful in a culturally significant city.
Reacting swiftly, Ranaut took to her Instagram Stories and posted a photograph of the same spot — from a different angle — which clearly showed a dustbin placed adjacent to the vendor. She added a red arrow to point it out. In her post, she wrote: “The truth is, I also placed my plate in the same dustbin,” and warned: “Verify facts before publishing lies.” Her response came within hours of the clip spreading online, underlining her resolve to correct what she called a misleading narrative.
The broader context of the controversy rests against Ranaut’s public image: beyond being a prominent actor, she is now an elected Member of Parliament, representing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Mandi constituency. In the 2024 general elections, she won the seat by a comfortable margin of 74,755 votes against her Congress opponent.
Originally from a small village in Himachal Pradesh, Ranaut had moved to Mumbai to pursue a film career at the age of 19. Her debut in the 2006 thriller Gangster launched a journey that saw her deliver several acclaimed performances, including in films like Fashion and Raaz: The Mystery Continues. Through the 2010s, she starred in multiple women-centric hits, earning four National Film Awards and becoming one of the most successful actresses of her generation.
In many ways, this incident highlights the thin line public figures must walk — especially when a brief, out-of-context snippet can shape public perception. What began as a casual street-food stop has turned into a public debate about accountability, media representation and the perils of viral clips without context.
Image Source- google