The student protest may have ended, but the war of words between actor-politician Kangana Ranaut and CJP spokesperson Saurav Das shows no signs of slowing down.
The two have been engaged in a heated public exchange after Kangana made a series of sharp remarks about Gen Z protesters, calling them the "gutter generation" and describing videos from the protests as "puke-inducing." Responding to her comments, Saurav said his friends believe he resembles a younger Hrithik Roshan and claimed Kangana's statements sounded "frustrated" and were not those of someone who was "mentally stable."
Speaking to Barkha Dutt on The Mojo Story, Saurav said he had no personal animosity towards Kangana and accused her of turning the disagreement into a personal attack.
"See, I have nothing personal against Kangana. She is the one using personal remarks against Gen Z and now against me. As I said on my Instagram Story today, 'Yo, Kangana, just take a chill pill. Let's talk this out.' That is how it should be."
He added that the country needed more dialogue and less hostility.
"The problem in this country is that people don't talk anymore. There is less deliberation, discussion and debate. We should stay within our limits while speaking. That is what I would tell her."
'My friends said I look like a young Hrithik Roshan'
Addressing Kangana's repeated criticism, Saurav said even his friends were surprised by the actor-politician's comments.
"My friends were texting me and asking, 'Why is she after your life?' One of them said that I may look a little like a young Hrithik Roshan. This is what my friends told me. I was pleasantly surprised. Why should someone like her attack someone like me?"
He also urged Kangana to be more measured in her public statements.
"Be careful of your words. Don't sound frustrated. It is sounding very frustrated. These are not the words or sentences of someone who is mentally stable. Just think before speaking about the future generation of this country because, ultimately, she serves at the pleasure of the people. The government is at the pleasure of the people, and people cannot be disrespected in this manner."
When asked whether he would be open to meeting Kangana over coffee, Saurav replied, "Of course. We harbour no ill will against anybody, including BJP MPs."
How the feud began
The exchange began after Saurav strongly criticised Kangana for her remarks about Gen Z protesters on Instagram.
Reacting to videos from the protests, Kangana wrote, "Never in my life have I seen so much ugliness in one place. These reels from Gen Z protests are puke-inducing—the way they speak and the kind of language they are using. Never in my life have I seen everything in every frame so jarring and so crass all at once. Ewwww, who is birthing and raising them?"
She further added, "You call yourself cockroaches and look/behave like them as well. There is no paradox or juxtaposition there, just simply subjecting the world to your filth, garbage and ugliness. I am scarred from these reels, need some healing, digital detox."
Responding to her remarks, Saurav told ANI, "Even members of her own party don't pay much heed to Kangana Ranaut or take her seriously, so why should we? I don't think anyone in Gen Z, Gen Alpha or any younger generation takes her seriously or listens to what she says."
He also referred to an earlier video in which Kangana spoke about the demands of being a Member of Parliament.
"She is a politician now. There were videos from when she visited her constituency in Himachal Pradesh where she remarked that she had expected the job to require very little work, only to realise that being a Member of Parliament involves a massive amount of labour. That speaks volumes about her own seriousness."
Kangana hits back
Kangana later responded on Instagram by questioning how Saurav continued to identify himself as a student at the age of 28.
"I just Googled this person and he is 28 years old. And he claims to be a student. How he claims to be a student, I have no clue! At his age, I had two National Awards."
Defending her earlier remarks about feeling overwhelmed as a first-time MP, Kangana wrote, "Yes, as a new parliamentarian, I was overwhelmed with all the work because I am also a filmmaker, performing artist, producer, screenwriter and entrepreneur."
She then launched a personal attack on Saurav, writing, "But someone like him, who is totally useless and unemployed, will never understand what it means to be in massive demand at all times, at any age. Dear Saurav, your issues are personal. You are not a student; you are simply useless. Let's start with learning some skill. It's a good place to start."
