Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency Receives Praise From Devendra Fadnavis.

Devendra Fadnavis Lauds Kangana Ranaut's Film 'Emergency

Written by: Supriya Kadu

Edited by: Pinky Deshmukh

Last Updated: January 17, 2025

Summary: With the good also comes the bad. The Sikh Body demands a ban on the movie in Punjab.

Devendra Fadnavis, Maharashtra's Chief Minister, complimented Kangana Ranaut's Emergency. He also praised Kangana's performance in the film, which now plays in theatres. Kangana portrayed the role of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He said, “This is an important documentation of a time in Indian history where people’s democratic rights were quashed, the constitution wasn’t adhered to, and lakhs of leaders were shut in jails. Emergency is a good representation of the atrocities committed on the people during those times.”

“I want to congratulate her for acing the role. The film is not just about the Emergency, but also what happened before—the 1971 war. In many ways, it is like seeing the late Prime Minister’s life journey. The history of India reminds us of the importance of keeping democracy alive.”

Kangana thanked the Chief Minister for his presence and praise. She said, “This journey has been quite the challenge for me and my team. Today, the CM watched our film, and he shared words of praise and encouragement. This is a great honor for us.”

She also added, “This is a neat and clean film that doesn’t have any form of vulgarity whatsoever. It is a very dignified film, and I’d urge all of you to watch it with your families. With just one week left for Republic Day, I hope the film, which respects the power of the constitution, is watched throughout the week.”

Anupam Kher and Shreyas Talpade play important roles in Emergency, a biographical drama based on the life and times of Indira Gandhi. However, there have been issues with the movie's release in several areas.

In a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has asked to ban the movie. They stated they would 'strongly protest' if the movie came out in the state.

The film might potentially offend the Sikh community, according to the committee. However, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a BJP leader, has spoken of confidence in the state government's ability to handle the matter.

They shared the letter online on their official group on X, where it’s written, "By hiding facts related to attacks on the holiest shrine of the Sikhs, Sri Harmandar Sahib, the top temporal seat, Akal Takht Sahib, and other gurdwaras and the Sikh genocide (of 1984), this movie works to spread venom under an anti-Sikh agenda. So, we again demand a ban on screening this movie in Punjab. If released, we will be forced to strongly protest it.”

In addition to Gandhi’s imposition of the Emergency movement in 1975, the movie also touches on the topic of former PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the Khalistani movement led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the 1980s.

Since the trailer was made public online, some Sikh communities have protested against its release, accusing the filmmakers of falsifying and distorting facts.