Kangana Ranaut clarifies ‘Generation Gutter’ remark.

Actor-turned-MP says Jantar Mantar protest was not purely Gen Z, cites presence of older activists.

BJP MP and Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has once again defended her controversial “Generation Gutter” comment, insisting that her criticism was aimed at a specific group of protesters at Jantar Mantar and not India’s youth as a whole.

Speaking through an Instagram Story, Ranaut argued that the NEET-UG protest at Jantar Mantar was wrongly described as a Gen Z demonstration. She claimed that of the nearly 10,000 people present, only about 2,000 were Gen Z, while the rest included “Shabana Azmi-type people” and individuals from other age groups. “How can this be called a Gen Z protest when so many others were there?” she asked.

Ranaut maintained that her remarks had been misrepresented as an attack on the entire young population. She challenged critics to identify any statement in which she had condemned all of Gen Z, stressing that her comments were directed only at protesters whose behavior she found objectionable. “I am not against the youth because I am one of them,” she added.

The controversy deepened when Ranaut addressed her use of the term “cockroaches” in reference to protesters. She explained that the phrase was directed at individuals who had adopted the label themselves, not at young people in general. “Those who call themselves cockroaches, and we say cockroaches come from gutters, what is wrong with that?” she said, clarifying that she did not consider herself part of that group.

Her remarks follow weeks of backlash after she described certain protesters as “Generation Gutter,” criticizing their language and conduct in social media posts. Ranaut had previously stated that she was referring to “some people or some women” at the protest, not the entire generation.

By emphasizing the mixed-age composition of the Jantar Mantar gathering, Ranaut is attempting to draw a sharper distinction between her criticism of specific individuals and her criticism of the broader Gen Z community. Her latest comments reflect a continued effort to reframe the narrative and counter claims that she disparaged India’s youth as a whole.

In doing so, Ranaut has sought to reinforce that her criticism was situational, directed at a particular protest crowd, and not a sweeping judgment on the country’s younger generation.