New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut has called nursing one of the ‘most sexualised’ professions and questioned why nurses in India continue to wear uniforms she described as ‘British’.
The actor-politician made the remarks while promoting her film Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata, in which she plays Anjali Kulthe, the Cama Hospital nurse who helped save pregnant women during the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The film is scheduled to release on 12 June.
Ranaut said nurses are the hardest-working professionals in hospitals, but rarely get the respect they deserve. “They are underpaid, they are overworked, and they are most sexualised,” she said. She added that nurses are often reduced to stereotypes in popular culture, even though they are among the people closest to patients during treatment and recovery.
“Nurse jaise kapde toh log Halloween mein pehente hain (people wear nurse costumes on Halloween),’ Ranaut said, as reported by Aaj Tak. Jokes and sexualised portrayals have shaped the way society looks at the profession, according to the actor-politician. The problem is not only that nurses are badly paid or made to work long hours, but also that their image has been flattened into a stereotype.
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Caps, pins and belts
Ranaut also linked the lack of respect for nurses to their uniforms. In an interview with ANI, she said that their uniforms need to be decolonised. She referred to caps, pins and belts as elements drawn from older British and foreign traditions, and said nurses should have more flexibility in what they wear at work, within professional guidelines.
Any change, Ranaut said, should be made keeping nurses’ comfort and preferences in mind. She also clarified that these were her personal views, and said that Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata portrays the nursing profession with dignity.
The film is based on the nurses and other hospital workers who were on duty when terrorists entered the hospital premises on 26 November 2008. Ranaut has said it looks at the people who kept working through the attack, including nurses, ward boys, watchmen and other staff.
Kulthe, whom Ranaut is portraying in the film, was on duty at Cama Hospital that night. Reports on the film’s real-life background say Kulthe helped move and protect pregnant women after the attackers entered the hospital. NDTV reported earlier that Kulthe helped save 20 pregnant women admitted to Cama Hospital and ensured the safe delivery of one high-risk patient.
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata marks Ranaut’s return to the screen after Emergency (2025), in which she played former prime minister Indira Gandhi.