RELENTLESS RANAUT

the Kangana Ranaut-starring . It sank without a trace. The that got more views came on June 16, when she put out a video in which she held “the movie mafia” responsible for the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput two days earlier. And so began Ranaut’s rise as a crusader in the ‘justice for Sushant’ movement, influencing the narrative around the case in the news and on social media. While her ire was initially reserved for what she derisively calls ‘Bullywood’, her list of targets expanded as the investigation continued, even including two powerful groups in Maharashtra: the Mumbai Police and the Shiv Sena. In her newfound role as a socio-political commentator on a range of issues from the Ram Mandir to reservations, Ranaut has been as brazen and feisty as always. The sense of persecution remains, but there’s also a flashy braggadocio on display. “I admire her guts,” says producer Ashoke Pandit, one of the few from the industry to support the actress on September 9 when the