'Not against nepotism,' says Kangana after Ekta Kapoor-'Lock Upp' association
What's the story
Kangana Ranaut is known as a self-declared crusader against "Bollywood gangs" and a self-appointed advocate for every "outsider" in the Hindi film industry. For years, her comments on nepotism in the business have made headlines. Naturally, netizens criticized her for collaborating with Ekta Kapoor for her reality TV debut, Lock Upp. Now, Ranaut has posted an old video to clarify her stand on nepotism.
Stand
'Nepotism was never my problem,' Ranaut says in old interview
Taking to her Instagram Story, the Queen star shared a snippet from an old interview where she praised Kapoor and explained her exact "problem" with how the industry works. "Nepotism was never my problem. The problem was ganging up on outsiders because of nepotism," she is seen saying. Noting there was a difference, Ranaut further mentioned, "If you're doing your job quietly, no problem."
Quote
'Ekta has never been a part of a bully gang'
So, where did the issue arise? Ranaut noted in the clip that if somebody said, "These are outsiders and shouldn't be here because this is our forefathers' place," then she takes offense. "Ekta has never been a part of a bully gang, that I can assure you," she had added. This clip was originally posted by a fan account of the actor on Friday.
Looking back
'Kangana was first choice for 'Lock Upp',' Kapoor had said
Kapoor, known as the czarina of Indian television, is the daughter of yesteryear superstar Jeetendra. Earlier, while speaking at the launch event of Lock Upp, the filmmaker had said Ranaut was her first choice as the host as they needed "an unabashed personality." The duo was also spotted visiting the Bangla Sahib Gurudwara together on Wednesday, a day before the Lock Upp trailer launch.
Show
Two contestants have been 'arrested' so far; show premieres soon
Coming to the show that caused all this noise, Lock Upp will feature 16 "controversial celebrities" in a jail-like set-up where they must compete with each other to survive. Ahead of its February 27 premiere on ALTBalaji and MX Player, the makers have gradually started introducing the contestants. Although no one's identity has been revealed, two participants have already been "arrested" for Ranaut's jail.
Twitter Post
Check out introduction of first contestant here
⚠️Contestant No –1 ⚠️Arrested
— ALTBalaji (@altbalaji) February 15, 2022
Publicity se thi pareshaan, ab milega inhe pura “aaraam”
Guess who’s in #LockUpp?#LockUpp streaming from 27th February. Watch LIVE free.
Trailer out tomorrow!@ektarkapoor #KanganaRanaut @MXPlayer @zakzulfi @LockuppGame pic.twitter.com/uyXgZvnpQr