Kangana Ranaut refutes claims of partying with gangster Abu Salem; reveals identity of man in viral picture

Kangana Ranaut has recently issued a clarification regarding a controversial picture that surfaced on social media, showing her with a man alleged to be gangster Abu Salem.

The actress-turned-politician took to her Instagram stories to debunk these claims.


The viral picture features Kangana smiling alongside a man, which some claimed to be Abu Salem. However, Kangana clarified that the man in the picture is not the notorious gangster but former journalist Mark Manuel.

Kangana shared a screenshot of the picture and wrote in the caption, "Desperate Congress officials are spreading this picture with the caption that I am partying with Gangster Abu Salem. This is utterly disrespectful to journalist Mr. Mark Manuel, who is the ex-entertainment editor of the Times of India. He is not Abu Salem, and this picture is from one of the film promotion event parties."

The controversy arose amid Kangana's active political campaign for the upcoming elections.

On the professional front, Kangana Ranaut is gearing up for the release of her next film, 'Emergency', in which she portrays former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The film is written by Ritesh Shah, who also penned Kangana's earlier film 'Dhaakad'.
Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”