Bollywood actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut, who is gearing up for the release of her much-awaited film, Emergency, opened up about the challenges she faced to bring her film to theatres. The film is based on the Emergency imposed from 1975 to 1977 by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Kangana not only plays Indira Gandhi in the film but she has also directed, written and produced the film.
During an interaction with ANI, Kangana also claimed that the director of the film Kissa Kursi Ka, which was also based on the life of Indira Gandhi, “had to commit suicide” because a “situation” was created for him.
Though Kangana claimed that Kissa Kursi Ka director Amrit Nahata was forced to commit suicide, media reports state that the director passed away during an operation at Escorts Hospital.
“There was a lot of struggle. You must have seen no one could ever make a film on Mrs Gandhi (Indira Gandhi)… There was a film ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’, director of that film had to commit suicide and such a situation was created for him. We got the courage to do this film because there is freedom of speech today. We had to show this film to several communities,” Kangana said.
The actress added, “This film had to go through a lot of scrutiny. We have a lot of faith in our Constitution and the Censor Board and we are happy and eager to show this film to the world. I had no idea that I would have to go through all of this while making my film Emergency.”
Further opening up about the challenges, the actress said, “I had no idea that I would endure difficult times while making this film…. usually, my films are made on a very comfortable budget but this time I faced a lot of struggles — be it related to studios or funds. The biggest struggle was that no one was confident about the film’s release. ‘Will it ever get released or not?’ This question was always there on our mind.”
Controversies surrounding Emergency
The film encountered multiple setbacks, missing its initial September 6, 2024, release due to delays in obtaining clearance from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Additionally, it faced opposition from certain Sikh organisations, who accused the makers of misrepresentation and objected to its release.
After months of hurdles, Emergency has finally received CBFC clearance and is now slated for release in theatres on January 17, 2025.
Earlier, the actress-turned-politician had also revealed that she had to sell her Mumbai property to fund the project after the postponement, an ordeal she never anticipated while bringing this film to life.
Emergency also stars Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Mahima Chaudry and late actor Satish Kaushik.
