Amid growing controversies, the release of the upcoming biographical political drama Emergency, which marks the directorial debut of actor Kangana Ranaut, has been postponed. This development comes days after the actor and Mandi Lok Sabha MP claimed that the film’s clearance was “stopped” because members of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) received “threats.” The film’s new release date has not yet been announced.
In a video posted on X (formerly Twitter), Kangana, who portrays former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the movie, stated on Friday, “There are rumours doing the rounds that our film, Emergency, has been granted Censor certificate. This is not true. In fact, our film had been cleared but certification has been stopped because many threats were coming in. Death threats. The Censor Board members are getting threats. We are under pressure not to show the assassination of Indira Gandhi, not to show Bhindranwale, not to show the Punjab riots. I don’t know what will be left to show then… This is unbelievable for me and I am very sorry for the state of things in this country.”
The controversy began a few weeks ago when the trailer of Emergency was unveiled. It depicted Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, leader of the separatist Khalistan movement, promising to bring votes for Indira’s political party in exchange for a separate Sikh state. In response, the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal sent a legal notice to the CBFC, requesting the film’s release be halted over concerns about its portrayal of Sikhs. The trailer also provoked strong reactions from Sikh organisations, including the Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).
In the meantime, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Satyapal Jain informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday that the CBFC would consider the sentiments of all communities, including the Sikh community. The court was hearing a plea filed by Mohali residents against the film’s certification.
Watch Emergency trailer here:
According to sources within the CBFC, certification “can and may take more time” due to the “sensitivity of the issue involved,” indicating that clearance could be delayed and may not happen in time for the film’s initially announced release date of September 6. “We have nothing to do with the film’s release date. That has been announced beforehand, before grant of certification,” said a government officer who did not want to be identified.
At the same time, after a delegation of Sikh community leaders raised concerns, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also recently promised to consider imposing a ban on the release of Emergency in the state.
Also starring Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Mahima Chaudhry, Milind Soman and Satish Kaushik in key roles, the film was originally scheduled for a November 2023 release. It was, however, postponed to June 2024 and subsequently to September 6. The Indian Express has contacted the film’s team for a formal statement but has not yet received a reply.
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