New Delhi: Veteran actor Sharmila Tagore has said that the complete rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ may be difficult for people belonging to monotheistic faiths, arguing that its first two stanzas are more inclusive. Her remarks have now drawn a response from actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who criticised Tagore for what she called a “limiting and contrived” interpretation of art and poetry.
‘The first two stanzas are very good’
Speaking about the ongoing debate around the national song, the 81-year-old actor said that India is home to people of different faiths, including those who believe in a single God. She argued that references to multiple Hindu deities in the later stanzas could make some people uncomfortable.
“My point of view is that there are many religious people who believe in one single God, not many Gods. In ‘Vande Mataram’, there is a stanza which mentions multiple Gods,” Tagore said in a media briefing.
She further explained that while the first two stanzas could bring people of different faiths together, reciting the later references could be difficult for some communities.
“It is difficult for those who believe in one religion to say, ‘Vande Kali, Vande Durga’. Therefore, if we take all the religious people in India together, the first two stanzas are very good,” she said.
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Kangana Ranaut calls interpretation ‘limiting’
Reacting to Tagore’s comments, Kangana shared a video of the veteran actor on her Instagram Story and questioned how an artist could view poetry in such a limited manner. She argued that artistic works often use metaphors and imagination rather than literal religious references.
“In any poetry or songs, words are metaphors. A poet or artist uses all kinds of imagination, draws unbelievable parallels to bring about the desirable effect,” Kangana wrote.
She further described Vande Mataram as the “spirit of the freedom struggle” and argued that the song should not be reduced to a religious practice.
“Bankim Chandra ji is compelling the nation to awaken the Shakti within,” she added, referring to Shakti as a symbol of power and strength.
Kangana also invoked Swami Vivekananda’s imagery of youth being made of “iron” and having “veins in which run thunderbolts”, arguing that such references to Shakti should be understood as expressions of strength rather than explored through a narrowly religious lens.
“He was simply demanding Shakti to rise; please come out of the Hindu-Muslim mindset,” she wrote.
Kangana ended her message on a more affectionate note, writing: “I absolutely love you and don’t mind a crushing hug like you always give me.”
The exchange between the two actors comes amid a wider political debate over the rendition, meaning, and interpretation of ‘Vande Mataram’.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)