Kangana Ranaut Supports Maithili Thakur After Rolls-Royce Controversy, Questions Online Trolling

Kangana Ranaut has come out in support of Bihar MLA and singer Maithili Thakur after her appearance in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan at Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja became the subject of online criticism.

The episode has quickly moved beyond a celebrity sighting. It has raised questions about how public figures are judged for their lifestyle, while also prompting discussion about Maithili Thakur's publicly declared finances and whether the luxury vehicle seen with her is actually owned by her.

Kangana addressed the criticism through an Instagram post, questioning why people should object when successful individuals choose to enjoy the results of their work. Her intervention has added another dimension to a debate that initially centred on a luxury car.

How the Rolls-Royce controversy began

Maithili Thakur was recently seen arriving at Mumbai's Lalbaugcha Raja in a blue Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Images and videos of the singer-turned-politician subsequently circulated online.

The vehicle's reported price which can run into several crores in India depending on the variant and taxes became a major part of the discussion.

However, an important distinction needs to be made.

The available evidence establishes that Maithili Thakur was seen travelling in the Rolls-Royce. It does not independently establish that she owns the vehicle.

Some social-media discussion has treated the appearance as evidence that the car was personally purchased by Thakur. That conclusion has not been established through the publicly available material reviewed for this report.

What Maithili Thakur's election affidavit says

Maithili Thakur's 2025 Bihar Assembly election affidavit provides the clearest publicly documented picture of her finances around the time she entered electoral politics.

According to data compiled by the Association for Democratic Reforms through MyNeta, Thakur declared total assets of ₹3.82 crore, including approximately ₹2.32 crore in movable assets and ₹1.50 crore in immovable assets. She declared zero liabilities.

The affidavit also identifies her profession as singer and lists her sources of income as singing, social media and brand endorsements.

For the 2023–24 financial year, the affidavit records total income of approximately ₹28.67 lakh.

These figures are relevant to the public discussion, but they should not be misused.

An election affidavit is a declaration made at a particular point in time. It is not a live financial statement covering every subsequent transaction or asset. MyNeta itself notes that the archived affidavit reflects the information declared during the election and that the current position may be different.

Therefore, the affidavit alone cannot establish whether Thakur currently owns, rents, borrows or otherwise has access to the Rolls-Royce seen in Mumbai.

Maithili Thakur's career predates her political entry

The controversy has also brought renewed attention to Thakur's career before politics.

Her election affidavit identifies her as a singer, while her income sources include singing, social-media activity and brand endorsements. This is significant because her financial background cannot simply be viewed through the lens of her relatively recent political career.

Thakur won the Alinagar constituency in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election. Public election data lists her as a BJP candidate, aged 25 at the time of the election, with graduate-level education and declared assets of approximately ₹3.82 crore.

That documented background provides context for the discussion surrounding her lifestyle.

At the same time, it does not answer the separate question of who owns the particular Rolls-Royce seen at Lalbaugcha Raja.

What Kangana Ranaut said

Kangana Ranaut's response focused on a broader question: whether public figures should be criticised simply for displaying signs of financial success.

In her social-media response, Ranaut defended Thakur and questioned the criticism directed at people who want to live comfortably after building successful careers.

The Indian Express reported that Ranaut's response framed the issue around the scrutiny faced by successful people, particularly those from culturally prominent backgrounds.

Other reports also carried Ranaut's argument that politicians remain individuals with careers and personal lives outside politics.

Her comments, however, are an expression of her position on the controversy. They do not independently establish ownership of the Rolls-Royce.

Why the ownership question matters

There are actually two separate issues in the controversy.

The first is a lifestyle question: should an elected representative or public figure be criticised for travelling in an expensive car?

The second is a financial-transparency question: if the car belongs to the public representative, can its ownership and source of funds be documented?

Those questions should not be conflated.

A person's appearance in a luxury vehicle does not automatically prove ownership. Conversely, if documentary evidence later establishes that the vehicle belongs to an elected representative, questions about how it was acquired can reasonably be examined through official financial records.

At present, the material reviewed for this report does not provide sufficient evidence to make that ownership claim.

The political and celebrity worlds collide

Thakur's case is particularly interesting because her public identity spans two different worlds.

She established herself as a singer before entering electoral politics. Her declared income sources therefore include professional activities that existed independently of her political career.

Kangana Ranaut's intervention similarly comes from the intersection of entertainment and politics. Ranaut is herself an actor who entered electoral politics and currently serves as a BJP MP.

That shared experience of maintaining a public identity outside politics helps explain why Ranaut's response focused on the idea that politicians can have personal ambitions and professional lives alongside public service.

That is Ranaut's stated position, rather than an independently established conclusion about Thakur's particular circumstances.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The most useful takeaway from the controversy is that viral visuals and verified financial information are two different things.

The Rolls-Royce appearance is documented. Thakur's declared assets and income are also documented through her election affidavit. But there is currently a gap between those two pieces of information: the available evidence reviewed here does not establish that the particular Rolls-Royce belongs to Thakur.

That distinction matters because online discussions can quickly turn an assumption into a supposed fact.

There is also a legitimate public-interest reason to examine the finances of elected representatives. But such scrutiny is strongest when it is based on documents, declarations and verifiable records rather than assumptions drawn from a viral video.

For now, the confirmed story is simpler than the online debate suggests: Maithili Thakur was seen travelling in a Rolls-Royce at Lalbaugcha Raja, the sighting triggered criticism, and Kangana Ranaut publicly defended her. The question of ownership remains separate and should not be presented as settled without additional evidence.

What is confirmed and what is not?

Confirmed:

• Maithili Thakur is a singer and BJP politician who won the Alinagar Assembly seat in Bihar in 2025.

• Her 2025 election affidavit declared total assets of ₹3.82 crore and no liabilities.

• Her declared income sources included singing, social media and brand endorsements.

• She was seen travelling in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan at Lalbaugcha Raja.

• Kangana Ranaut publicly defended her over the criticism.

Not independently established:

• That Maithili Thakur personally owns the Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

• That she purchased the vehicle after becoming an MLA.

• That the vehicle was acquired using public money.

Those distinctions should remain clear in any further coverage of the controversy.

Sources & Verification

The Celebrity Hour independently reviewed the available reporting and public records surrounding the controversy involving singer and Bihar MLA Maithili Thakur and her appearance in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan at Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja.

For this report, we consulted recent coverage from The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Times of India and Free Press Journal, along with publicly available election-affidavit information for Maithili Thakur from MyNeta/Association for Democratic Reforms and the Election Commission of India’s affidavit portal. The election records confirm that Thakur declared assets of approximately ₹3.82 crore and no liabilities in her 2025 Bihar Assembly election affidavit.