Kangana Ranaut is back in the spotlight with a cryptic Instagram story that appears to take a jab at Alia Bhatt’s latest release, Jigra. The film, which released on October 11, had a modest opening, reportedly earning around Rs 3.58 crore (net) across all languages in India on its first day, according to Sacnilk. Kangana’s post has sparked renewed buzz around the box office performance of women-centric films.
Without naming anyone directly, Kangana wrote, “When you destroy women-centric films and make sure that they don’t work, they don’t work, even when you make them. Read that again. Thanks.” Fans speculate that this is a subtle dig at Jigra, given the film’s theme and Alia Bhatt’s central role.
Jigra marks Alia Bhatt’s latest venture as both producer and lead in a women-driven narrative. In the film, Alia plays Satya Anand, a courageous sister determined to rescue her brother, Ankur Anand (played by Vedang Raina), from a foreign prison where he’s being tortured. Directed by Vasan Bala, this action-packed thriller also features Manoj Pahwa and Rahul Ravindran in key roles. Co-produced by Alia’s Eternal Sunshine Productions and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions, Jigra had high expectations but received mixed reactions after its first-day earnings.
Kangana has previously taken public digs at Alia. Prior to the release of Gangubai Kathiawadi, Kangana criticized the film’s casting and budget, calling it a “200-crore disaster waiting to happen” and labeling Alia a “romcom bimbo.” Despite these comments, Gangubai Kathiawadi turned into a critical and commercial success.
Whether Kangana’s latest post was aimed directly at Alia Bhatt or reflects broader criticism of Bollywood’s treatment of women-centric films remains unclear. However, her comment has definitely added to the conversation as Jigra’s box office journey continues to unfold.
