Manoj Bajpayee scoffs at Kangana Ranaut’s comments comparing Mumbai to PoK, says it is a ‘jadoo ki nagri’

Actor Manoj Bajpayee, asked for his reaction to recent comments made by ‘certain people’ comparing Mumbai to PoK, has said that the city has magic, and has given so many like him the opportunity to succeed.

Actor Manoj Bajpayee has dismissed Kangana Ranaut’s recent comments comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and suggesting that 99% of the film industry has been exposed to drugs. The actor recently appeared in a rap video directed by Anubhav Sinha, in which they shed light on the lives of migrant workers who seek better opportunities in big cities, particularly Mumbai.

Manoj Bajpayee disagrees with Kangana Ranaut’s comments about Mumbai.

“Mumbai is a magical city. There’s magic here. Look at where I come from. Who am I? Where do I come from? People like me have made our villages, our districts, our towns, our friends and families proud. How? Because Mumbai brought magic to our lives,” he said, scoffing at the idea that anyone could disrespect it. He was asked for his reaction to comments made by ‘certain people’ in recent days.

The actor added, in an interview to India Today, “We were given opportunities. And all of it happened because of Mumbai and the film industry.”

Kangana in recent weeks has been involved in several spats because of her comments on Mumbai and the film industry. Claiming that she feels unsafe in Mumbai, she had compared the city to PoK. This angered Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who wrote an editorial condemning these comments in Saamana, the party mouthpiece, and advised her to stay away from the city.

To prove a point, Kangana flew down to Mumbai from Manali, a day after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation partially demolished her property. The actor alleged that the move was politically motivated. She wrote on Twitter while departing a few days later, “With a heavy heart leaving Mumbai, the way I was terrorised all these days constant attacks and abuses hurled at me attempts to break my house after my workplace, alert security with lethal weapons around me, must say my analogy about POK was bang on.”

This week, Kangana was called out by Jaya Bachchan, who said that by criticising Mumbai, Kangana was biting the hand that feeds.

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