Set against the backdrop of one of the darkest chapter of India’s political history, Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film Emergency had hit a roadblock before its release on September 6. Now that the film has received a clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), it is scheduled to hit the silver screens on January 17, 2025 – a week prior to the Republic Day.
What is Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency about?
The film, which has been written, directed and lead by Kangana as the protagonist, centres around the life and times of the country’s first female Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi. It particularly focusses on the controversial period between June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977 during which an emergency was declared in the country. During the aforementioned period, civil rights and liberties were curtailed, and the press was heavily censored.
What is the controversy around Emergency?
The political drama which was to release on September 6, 2024 faced multiple delays as the film didn’t get clearance from the CBFC after certain members from several Sikh groups raised objections stating that the film portrays their community in a bad light. On receiving these complaints the Censor Board evaluated the film again and suggested several cuts and changes in the movie. The list of changes included censoring some violent scenes and also cutting a reference to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a “saint” or “sant” in one of the dialogues. The makers of the film were asked to comply with the changes and then obtain the certificate for the film’s release. The examining committee of the CBFC passed with film with U/A certificate, on the condition that the makers provide verified sources for certain controversial statements made in the film.
Emergency finally gets a release date!
About a month after the film got s clearance from the CBFC, on November 18, 2024 Kangana announced its final release date. The actress took to her Instagram account to share a poster of the film and wrote in the caption, “17th January 2025 – The epic saga of the nation’s most powerful woman and the moment that altered India’s destiny. #Emergency – Unveils Only in cinemas on 17.01.2025!”
Check out the post here:
Emergency cast
The film stars Kangana as Indira Gandhi. Shreyas Talpade has been cast to play Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Anupam Kher will be seen playing Jai Prakash Narayan while Vishak Nair portrays the role of Sanjay Gandhi. The film also stars Milind Soman as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, and Mahima Chaudhary as Pupul Jayakar. Ashok Chhabra plays Morarji Desai, whereas late veteran actor Satish Kaushik will be seen as Jagjivan Ram. The screenplay and dialogues of the film have been penned by Ritesh Shah.
