Kangana can’t own Didda!

The actress stirs up a hornet’s nest after announcing a film on Didda without the permission of the author whose research she’s apparently using

Author Ashish Kaul’s book Didda: The Warrior Queen of Kashmir has been in circulation for two and a half years. The book, which talks about the controversial female monarch of Kashmir, was also unveiled by veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan last year. However, the book has suddenly come under the scanner when, on Makar Sankranti, Kangana Ranaut announced a film on Didda. Ashish, a senior media professional hailing from Kashmir who has worked in several top media organisations in India, asserts that he belongs to Didda’s family. Sharing how he had approached Kangana to write the foreword of the Hindi version of the book around four months ago, Ashish talks about how, to his shock and disbelief, he found out that she’d instead announced a film on the same subject.

“What was interesting is that she (Kangana0 has used the publicity material of my book on Didda being the woman who had defeated the ruler of Ghazni twice. Nowhere else is it mentioned that Didda had defeated Ghazni twice, but now she wants to make a film based on my research. The only other written material on Didda is from a 1000year-old book called Rajtarangini, which has only two pages on her, showing her as a characterless woman. My Hindi version of the book shows her in an ashtabhuja roop like Goddess Durga,” says the author. “I know about Didda because I am a part of her legacy and because of the stories my grandmother had told me about Didda. We have tweeted to her [Kangana] about the book and then written an official letter to her. I am now waiting to see what she intends to do with her script .”

I know about Didda because I am a part of her legacy and because of the stories my grandmother had told me about Didda. We have tweeted to her [Kangana] about the book and then written an official letter to her. I am now waiting to see what she intends to do with her script -Ashish