NEW DELHI: In a recent development that has sparked considerable controversy, veteran actor Annu Kapoor found himself issuing an apology after remarks made during a press conference stirred a response from Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut.
Kapoor took to his social media platform X to extend an apology addressed directly to Ranaut, stating, "Dear Sister Kangana, I am extracting some meaning from the answers to the questions posed by the media, so I thought I should clarify some facts."
"Every woman is respectable and worthy to me, so I can never disrespect any woman," he wrote adding, ". Not knowing the system or laws of any country can lead to mistakes and punishment, but not knowing a particular person, place, or thing is not an error or a crime."
The apology came in the wake of Ranaut's reaction to Kapoor's earlier comments regarding societal attitudes towards successful women.
The controversy began when Kapoor, during a press conference for his film 'Hamare Baarah,' initially expressed unfamiliarity with Kangana Ranaut's identity. He was quoted saying, "Yeh Kangana ji kaun hain? Please batao na kaun hain? Zaahir hai aap pooch rahe hain toh koi bahut badi heroine hongi? Sundar hain kya?" Later in the conference, Kapoor commented on perceptions towards successful women in society.
Kangana Ranaut, an actor-turned-politician, responded swiftly through her Instagram Stories, sharing a clip of Kapoor's press conference. She questioned, "Do you agree with Annu Kapoor ji that we tend to hate a successful woman, hate her more if she is beautiful and hate her even more passionately if she is powerful? Is it true?"
The backdrop to this controversy involves an alleged incident at Chandigarh airport on June 6, where Kangana Ranaut was reportedly slapped by a CISF woman constable while preparing to board a flight to Delhi for a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
An FIR has been registered against the constable under IPC sections 321 and 341, although no arrests have been made as of yet.