Why is 2016 trending? Kangana Ranaut reflects on career peak and the legal storm that defined that year

KANGANA 2016 THROWBACK

• Kangana Ranaut calls 2016 her career peak and start of public controversies.
• She recalls legal battles and feud with Hrithik Roshan that divided Bollywood
• Her film Emergency, released in 2025, later streamed on Netflix after delays

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As nostalgia for 2016 sweeps social media, with influencers and celebrities sharing throwback moments from a decade ago, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut has weighed in with a candid reflection on why that year still resonates for her, and why she’s glad it’s behind her.

In a heartfelt Instagram post, the Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns star posed the question, “Why is everyone missing 2016 suddenly?” before recounting how that period was both the peak of her career and the start of one of its most turbulent chapters.

Kangana’s note started with, “Why is everyone missing 2016 suddenly?  It was the inevitable ascend of my career trajectory, post back to back blockbusters like Queen and Tanu weds Manu returns I became the highest paid actress but then in the January of 2016 one of my colleagues sent me that controversial legal notice which shook and divided the industry in to insiders and outsiders. Success became poisonous and life became a living hell. Sides were taken and many more legal battles followed.”

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The year 2016 also marked the beginning of a very public feud between Ranaut and fellow actor Hrithik Roshan, involving legal notices and conflicting claims about their past and communications.

She continued, “Ten years ago had I known in 2026 I will be eating carbs in all my meals, will be laughing a lot and none of the 2016 drama would mean anything to anyone few years down the line, honestly I would have not been so miserable back then. Thank God it’s not 2016 and we are in 2026.”

Kangana Ranaut’s most recent on-screen appearance was in the political drama Emergency, in which she portrayed former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The film, which she also wrote and directed, was released in theatres on 17 January 2025 after facing multiple delays and controversy surrounding its certification and content. It later streamed on Netflix following its theatrical run.