A year into her new political journey, actor-turned-MP Kangana Ranaut is reflecting on the challenges of public service — and it seems the transition hasn’t been as smooth as she had initially imagined. In a recent interview with Times Now, the Bollywood star admitted that her role as a parliamentarian has been far more intense and consuming than she was led to believe.
Kangana confessed she had underestimated the demands of the job. “I didn’t naturally expect it to be so demanding,” she said. “When I was offered, I was told maybe you have to attend Parliament for 60–70 days, and the rest of the time you can do your work — which I thought was reasonable. But it’s very demanding.” Since taking office, only one of her films — Emergency — has released, and even that had wrapped before her parliamentary term began.
The Mandi MP also opened up about the unique challenges of representing a disaster-prone and mountainous constituency like Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi. Kangana said people often expect her to solve problems that fall outside her jurisdiction. “We are the link between the state and the central government,” she explained, adding that she doesn’t have a cabinet or bureaucracy of her own, and can only escalate local issues to the Centre after reviewing them with deputy commissioners.
Her comments, however, have drawn sharp criticism. Himachal Pradesh Minister Jagat Singh Negi slammed the MP’s remarks and suggested she resign if she found her responsibilities too overwhelming. His reaction came after Kangana’s recent statement during her visit to the flood-affected areas of Mandi, where she said the relief and restoration work is the responsibility of the state government, and she could only “apprise the Prime Minister and Home Minister and seek liberal assistance.”
Kangana’s visit followed a devastating string of cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides that ravaged the Mandi district on the night of June 30–July 1, leaving 15 people dead, five injured, and 27 missing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the region.