Kangana Ranaut Says She Feels 'Better' Saying Bharat But Does Not 'Hate' Using India

Amid the ongoing India vs Bharat debate, Kangana Ranaut has said that she does not mind using the name ‘India’ for our country but feels ‘better’ when she says ‘Bharat’. Kangana made it clear that she does not ‘hate’ using the term ‘India’ but added that she is not a politically aware person who watches a lot of news.

“I wanted to look anything but Indian. That was because our country was perceived as a poor nation then. Now, I am proud of my culture and now, I feel like wearing saris. So, when you realise the importance of your own culture, you have the option of embracing it. Our country is going towards a higher conscience, where the citizens may choose to be who they want to be. No one needs to impose these on you,” Kangana told Times Now.

“I now feel better saying Bharat but there are times when I say India, when slip of tongue happens. I do not hate it, nor do I abhor it. That, too, is our past,” the actress added.

Kangana Ranaut is not the first actress who has reacted to the India vs Bharat controversy. Earlier this month, Amitabh Bachchan also wrote on his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle, “Bharat mata ki jai”.

Jackie Shroff had also said that there is ‘nothing wrong’ in using Bharat instead of India. “There’s nothing wrong if Bharat is being called Bharat. My name is Jackie, but some call me Jockey, and many call me Jaki. People often distort my name. But I haven’t changed. How will we change? The name might change, not us,” he was heard saying in a video shared by the news agency ANI.

Several other celebrities including Virendre Sehwag and Indian men’s hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh have also reacted to the controversy as of now.