Kangana Ranaut Hits Back at Ramdev as Generation Gutter Row Escalates

The exchange between Kangana Ranaut and Baba Ramdev grew out of the actor-politician's recent social media posts about Gen Z, in which she questioned the lifestyles of some young women and used the phrase "Generation Gutter", per NDTV Profit. The remarks, made amid online debate around recent student protests in Delhi, drew widespread criticism and pulled a series of public figures into the conversation.

• Kangana Ranaut faced backlash after social media posts about Gen Z and young women in which she used the phrase 'Generation Gutter' (NDTV Profit, 19 August)
• Baba Ramdev, asked about the remarks at the TV9 Satta Sammelan, said calling young people 'gutter' showed a corrupted mindset and referred to her past (NDTV Profit, 19 August)
• Kangana responded on her Instagram Stories on 19 August, objecting to his references to her youth and personal life and telling him not to comment on her character (NDTV Profit, 19 August)
• ThePrint reported her reply included the line asking Ramdev not to dream about her 'jawaani' (ThePrint, 19 August)
• In her response she also invoked the Supreme Court's past reprimand of Patanjali, saying she had never faced a similar rebuke (NDTV Profit and Open Magazine, 19-20 August)
• Separately, Telegraph India reported her film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata has crossed 50 million watch minutes on ZEE5 (Telegraph India, 20 August)

Ranaut, a BJP Member of Parliament from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has a long history of combative public commentary — but this time the pushback came from an unexpected quarter.

Ramdev's remarks — and Kangana's reply

Asked about the controversy at the TV9 Satta Sammelan, Baba Ramdev questioned Ranaut's right to make such remarks about the country's youth, said that calling a generation "gutter" reflected a corrupted mindset, and made references to her past, per NDTV Profit. He also suggested her own party should take note of her comments.

Ranaut's response came on 19 August through her Instagram Stories. She objected to the yoga guru's references to her youth and personal life and told him not to comment on her character, per NDTV Profit. ThePrint reported the most-quoted line of the reply — a pointed warning to Ramdev not to dream about her "jawaani". Mid-Day and Open Magazine both characterised the exchange as a public slanging match that shows no sign of cooling.

The Patanjali barb

The sharpest edge of Ranaut's reply was aimed at Ramdev's business record rather than his remarks. She referred to the legal action and controversies associated with claims made by Patanjali — the Ayurveda company Ramdev co-founded — and said she had never faced a similar reprimand from the Supreme Court, per NDTV Profit. Open Magazine placed the jibe in the context of the court's well-documented misleading-advertisements case against the company.

Neither side has indicated the exchange is over, and reporters at multiple outlets note that both figures have historically been willing to extend public disputes across news cycles.

Meanwhile, her film finds an audience online

The row lands at an oddly productive moment for Ranaut's screen career. Telegraph India reported on Wednesday that Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, her 26/11-era drama that underperformed in cinemas earlier this year, has clocked more than 50 million watch minutes since arriving on ZEE5 — a reminder that in 2026, a theatrical stumble is no longer the end of a film's public life, and controversy rarely dents an audience's curiosity.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from NDTV Profit, ThePrint, Mid-Day, Open Magazine, Telegraph India.