Kangana Ranaut urges moving beyond Hindu-Muslim mindset in Vande Mataram debate

Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut has publicly disagreed with veteran actor Sharmila Tagore's suggestion that only the first two stanzas of the national song Vande Mataram should be sung, urging people to move beyond a "Hindu-Muslim mindset" in interpreting the poem. The exchange adds a prominent cultural voice to a debate that has recently intensified in political circles.

The controversy stems from remarks made by Sharmila Tagore in an interview. She stated that the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram, which focus on the motherland, could be sung by everyone, but the later verses contain references to Hindu deities like Durga and Kali that might be difficult for people of monotheistic faiths to recite. "My point of view is that there are many religious people who believe in one single God, not many Gods," Tagore said, adding that for such individuals, "it is difficult... to say, Vande Kali, Vande Durga."

Kangana Ranaut responded via her Instagram Stories, expressing respect for Tagore's right to voice her reservations but sharply criticizing the interpretation. "I am shocked as an artist how can her views on art/poetry be so limiting and contrived?" Ranaut wrote. She argued that...