Gangubai Kathiawadi, starring Alia Bhatt, creates a lot of hype online ahead of its February 25 premiere. Many people are reproducing Gangubai Kathiawadi’s legendary and striking talks on the internet. A video of a little child imitating Alia’s lines from the film has now gone viral.

“Should this youngster resemble a sex worker with a beedi in her mouth and crass and disgusting dialogues?” Kangana commented on Instagram Stories earlier this week, objecting to the video. “Is it OK to sexualize her at this age, based on her body language? Hundreds of other youngsters are being utilized in the same way.”

“Jo 6-7 saal ke bachche hai, woh kisi tarah se exploit ho rahe hai, jab main unki baat kar rahi hoon (When I’m talking about 6 or 7-year-olds being exploited), I don’t think it’s to harm anybody in terms of business or the money that they’re going to make),” Kangana said at the trailer launch of Lock Upp in Delhi. Isn’t it true that society needs a conscience keeper? “Shouldn’t artists have an opposite viewpoint as well?”

Kangana Ranaut claims that what she said was in the little girl’s best interests who was impersonating a sex worker while holding a beedi in her mouth. She claims that just because someone believes her viewpoint is harmful to the film does not mean she should refrain from expressing her views.

Kangana Ranaut defended herself against critics who questioned her motivation for condemning a video of a young girl reenacting a moment from Gangubai Kathiawadi. She called it “petty” to believe she did it intending to hurt the movie’s box office chances.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi stars Alia Bhatt as a lady forced into a brothel and later forged contacts with the mafia to become a strong force. On February 25, it will be released in theatres.