Kangana Ranaut Recalls Mother Throwing Away Her Dolls Over Her Delayed Periods

Kangana Ranaut, who grew up in a modest household in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district, has often spoken about her unconventional upbringing. In a recent conversation with Hauterrfly, the actress shared deeply personal stories, ranging from her family’s early loss to the challenges of growing up in a patriarchal home.

‘Hospitals were banned for us’: Kangana on grandmother’s decision

Kangana revealed that before her elder sister Rangoli was born, her parents had a son named Hero, who tragically lived for only 10 days. “My mother’s firstborn was a baby boy who didn’t survive. He passed away just 10 days after his birth. My father had named him Hero, so losing him was an extremely painful experience for them. He was born in a hospital, weighed 3.5 kilos, and had no medical complications. My mother believes it was the carelessness of the hospital staff that killed her son, as they cut his umbilical cord incorrectly. After that, my grandmother took over and declared that none of us would be born in a hospital. After this incident, my mother conceived three more times and my aunt twice, and all of us were born in the same house, in the same room. Hospitals were banned for us.”

Kangana opens up on patriarchy in her household

The actress added that growing up, gender bias was deeply rooted in her family environment. “Now, my parents feel embarrassed about these things, but back then, within the family, girls were often demeaned and mocked. They would comment things like, ‘Isko yeh nahi sikhaya, isko andar rakho warna badi ladki ki shaadi nahi hone degi (You haven’t taught her anything, keep her inside otherwise it will affect the elder daughter’s marriage prospects).’ These remarks affected my bond with my siblings and often made me feel isolated.”

Delayed periods and mother’s reaction

Kangana also recounted a moment from her teenage years that left a lasting impact on her. She explained how her delayed menstruation led to an emotional incident at home. “All my friends got their periods between classes 6 and 9, and I was still waiting. This worried my mother. At the time, I was obsessed with my dollhouse. One day, my mom got extremely angry: ‘Already her period is delayed, and she is still obsessed with her dolls.’ She threw them away, thinking they were the reason for the delay. Then one day, I woke up and everything around me had blood on it. I was horrified, while my mother was happy that I had finally started menstruating.”