Kangana Ranaut has criticised veteran actor Sharmila Tagore over her comments on singing only the first two stanzas of India’s national song, ‘Vande Mataram’. Ranaut said she was “shocked” by Tagore’s view and urged her to “come out of Hindu-Muslim mindset”.
According to India Today, Tagore had suggested that only the first two stanzas should be sung, as people from different faiths may not be comfortable with later references such as “Vande Kali” and “Vande Durga”.
Ranaut responded through her Instagram Stories, arguing that poetry and art should not be reduced to religious practice. She said words in poetry often work as metaphors and that artists use imagery and comparisons to convey ideas.
Calling ‘Vande Mataram’ the “spirit of the freedom struggle”, Ranaut said Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s work sought to awaken “Shakti” within the nation. She questioned how such a work could be viewed only through a religious lens.
She also referred to Swami Vivekananda’s famous call for young people with “iron” bodies and “steel” bones, saying he was not making a weather forecast but calling for strength, or Shakti, to rise.
Ranaut then addressed Tagore directly, writing, “Please come out of Hindu-Muslim mindset.” She added that even those who believe in one God recognise power as “Shakti” and urged people to embrace one another.
In a second post, Ranaut said interpretation remains an important part of art. She argued that words such as Shakti, Durga and Chandi can refer to religious figures in a temple prayer but can also represent the unleashed spirit of strength when used in a freedom song.
She also criticised what she described as a selective approach to religion, questioning whether religion should be restricted to one God and one expression.
The debate comes amid renewed discussion in India over how ‘Vande Mataram’ should be sung. The song’s first two stanzas were adopted as the National Song, while later verses contain references to Hindu deities.
