Kangana Ranaut responds to Swara Bhasker's 'item number' barb, calls her 'B-lister sepoy'

Actor Kangana Ranaut has reacted after Swara Bhasker posted a video of her performing a dance number in the film Rajjo, calling it an 'item number'.

Actor Kangana Ranaut has responded after Swara Bhasker shared a video of her performing a dance number in her 2013 film, Rajjo. Swara's post came after Kangana had attacked actors Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif for performing item songs in films.

Kangana Ranaut in a screengrab from the Rajjo song.

Kangana has maintained that she refuses to perform item numbers on screen. Many, including Kangana in her tweet, noted that the Rajjo dance number wasn't an item song per se, since Kangana played a bar dancer in the film, and the song was a part of its narrative.

Quote tweeting a news report that sided with her, she wrote, "Whenever I impose difficult questions on A listers all B listers come like sepoys, item numbers is essentially a song which isn’t consequential to the plot of the film, uses derogatory language for woman, even when I played a nautch girl I made sure it’s not derogatory for woman."

Kangana wrote in a follow-up tweet, "These B grades won’t understand but I said no to item songs of Sanjay Bhansali and Farah Khan also, which made few A listers over night sensations, I sacrificed a lot to be who I am today, back off B grade hyenas if these directors offer you even a passing you will go crawling."

In her original tweet last week, Kangana had slammed a politician for calling her a 'naachne gaane waali (item girl)'. She'd written, "Whoever this fool is does he know I am no Deepika Katrina or Alia.... I am the only one who refused to do item numbers, refused to do big hero ( Khan /Kumar) films which made entire Bullywoodiya gang men +women against me. I am a Rajput woman I don’t shake a** I break bones."

Swara slammed the politician's comments, calling them 'stupid, sexist and totally condemnable', but added that Kangana had 'made it worse'.

Sharing the Rajjo song, Swara wrote, "Loved your dancing in this ‘item number’ in the film Rajjo.. you are a great performer and great dancer Kangana.. looking forward to your next."

Kangana and Swara have long been at loggerheads with each other. Kangana in the past has referred to Swara as a 'B-grade actress'.