Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut has sparked a debate after calling politics a “very expensive hobby.” In a recent interview with Times Now, the newly elected Member of Parliament from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, opened up about the financial and emotional challenges of public office.
Kangana, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha election on a BJP ticket, said that while she is committed to serving the people, being an MP is not financially sustainable on its own. “Politics is a very expensive hobby,” she said, adding, “Obviously. If you are an MP, you can’t have it as a profession because you need a job. if you are an honest person.”
The actress explained that MPs are paid a salary of around ₹1.24 lakh per month. However, after paying for staff like cooks and drivers, she claimed that only ₹50,000–60,000 remains. I understand that whatever salary you get here to maintain your cook and driver, what you are left with is actually just Rs 50,000-60,000, that’s your salary as an MP,” she said.
She highlighted the logistical challenges of representing Mandi, a large and hilly constituency. “The expenses are in lakhs because every place is at least 300-400 kms away. You must understand that it is a very expensive hobby. You need a job. A lot of MPs have businesses, they are working as lawyers,” she added.
Kangana also pointed out that many MPs run businesses or continue their professional work alongside their parliamentary duties. She referred to lyricist and former Rajya Sabha MP Javed Akhtar, saying, “He kept doing his work. You got to work.”
The actor also expressed disappointment at not being included in the Union cabinet. “The kind of profile that I come from, I am a filmmaker, writer, author. I also have the fourth highest civilian honour, I am a Padma Bhushan. So in that context, I just felt that I have done a lot for the party and I have also won a very difficult seat. It was a very long campaign for me because my voting was also in the last phase so I expected to get a portfolio. I thought I should have got it,” she said. (As quoted by the Indian Express)
Earlier this month, Kangana had also commented on how constituents often bring her panchayat-level issues. She suggested this was not the kind of work she expected when entering politics.
In her 2024 nomination, Kangana declared assets worth ₹91.5 crore, including ₹28.7 crore in movable and ₹62.9 crore in immovable assets.
Despite her early frustrations, Kangana remains active in her constituency and says she is determined to serve the people, but she insists that the cost of doing so is much higher than most people realise.
