EXCLUSIVE! Kangana Ranaut: Javed Akhtar told me if I don't apologise to Rakesh Roshan & family, I’ll be jailed

Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely demise has divided the social media and the Indian film industry – where it’s slowly becoming a tussle of who’s more right. Kangana Ranaut is not known for mincing her words or putting them diplomatically, and that has been one of the prime reasons for her to court one controversy after another.

Yesterday, in an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Kangana Ranaut alleged that it was professional bullying and nepotism that took the life of the young actor. The actress even called out Mukesh Bhatt on comparing Sushant with Parveen Babi.

(Trigger Warning)

Firing a fresh salvo, the actress shares her protest and outburst is because she too was subjected to similar pressure tactics in her career. “Once Javed Akhtar had called me to his house and told me that Rakesh Roshan and his family are very big people. If you don’t apologise to them, you will have nowhere to go. They will put you in jail, and eventually, the only path would be that of destruction…you will commit suicide. These were his words. Why did he think if I don’t apologise to Hrithik Roshan, I would have to commit suicide? He shouted and yelled at me. I was shaking in his house,” Kangana says.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Kangana Ranaut calls out Mukesh Bhatt for comparing Sushant Singh Rajput with Parveen Babi

“Were there people calling Sushant? Were there people putting such thoughts into his mind? I have no idea, but obviously, he was in a similar situation. In his interviews, he had said that nepotism cannot co-exist with talent because they don’t allow the right talent to come up. I can relate to it, and hence I am raising questions. I want to know who played the catalyst in this situation?” she adds.

To substantiate her allegations of experiencing professional bullying from a section of the industry, she claims. “I know Sushant had a big fallout with Aditya Chopra also. When I refused Sultan, he had threatened he would never work with me. Ever since our industry ganged up on me. I remember so many times feeling really lonely and feeling what will happen to me… Why do these privileged people have the power to say that they will never work with someone? It’s your choice if you want or not to work with someone, but why announce it to the world, gang up and make this happen! [sic] These privileged lots need to be questioned. They have blood on their hands. They need to answer, and I am ready to go to any extent to expose these people because enough is enough!”

Kangana says that what she experienced was not just limited to her professional life, her personal life too was severely impacted. “They are very insecure about things. Despite what they did to me, there was a guy who wanted to get married to me. But he distanced himself, they made sure he ran away. With no surety about my career, my love-life completely has gone awry, with six court-cases against me, they’re still trying to put me in jail.

I’m a different person; I’m very expressive. I went out there, and I just vented it out. Sushant was not a person like that at all. He just bottled it up. Media too, has played a considerable part in this—the kind of monster image that was given to him. Everybody who knew him closely agrees that he was a soft and emotional person. I think that after a point it really got to him. I can understand it because even I have been portrayed as a witch and as a stalker,” she continues.

Narrating the psychological impact of the situations faced, she says, “I remember initially when people used to come to my home, I felt so embarrassed to even offer them water. Forget having a relationship or going on a date post the disaster of a relationship I had. I can only imagine that even during Manikarnika what they did to me. But perhaps he [Sushant] was just not able to vent. In fact, all these constant jibes on these petty shows that he should be killed and which rated him as the least efficient… his films have done more business than your Gully Boy. People like Salman Khan said who Sushant Singh Rajput? It was after M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, everybody knew who Sushant was. We need to stop these,” she concludes.

ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Mumbai Police demands contract copies from YRF with Sushant Singh Rajput; Question his manager & PR

If you need support or know someone who is struggling, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.