Religious sentiments can’t be hurt, sources in government said today, explaining why the release date of Kangana Ranaut-starrer ‘Emergency’ was postponed.
“Few religious organisations have raised concerns about this. Religious sentiments cannot be hurt. There is some sensitive content in the movie,” the sources said. “The government is taking it (the concerns) seriously,” they added.
‘Emergency’, in which Ms Ranaut portrays former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was initially slated for release on September 6. However, its release date, postponed multiple times earlier, has been deferred again as the movie is yet to get a certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
Several Sikh bodies have demanded a ban on the release of the movie, claiming it misrepresents the community. Top gurdwara body Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has sent a legal notice to the producers of ‘Emergency’, citing misrepresentation of the history of Sikhs and demanded the removal of the objectionable scenes that will hurt Sikh sentiments.
The BJP MP from Mandi – also the director, writer, and co-producer of ‘Emergency’ – termed the new development “hugely demotivating and unjust”.
Drawing parallels between her movie and Netflix series ‘IC814: The Kandahar Hijack’, she said censorship was only for those who make films based on “historic facts”.
“Law of the land is that one can show unimaginable amount of violence and nudity on OTT platforms without any consequence or censorship, one can even distort real-life events to suit their politically motivated sinister motives, there is all the freedom for communists or leftists across the world for such anti-national expressions,” she said.
Anubhav Sinha’s IC814 on the 1999 hijacking has courted controversy over the names of the hijackers. The government has summoned Netflix India’s content chief Monika Shergill over the row and sources said, “The government is taking it very seriously”.
Ms Ranaut, responding to a post by BJP leader Amit Malviya on IC814, wrote on X, “As a nationalist no OTT platform allows us to make films that revolve around the integrity and unity of Bharat, it seems censorship is only for some of us who don’t want tukde of this nation and make films on historic facts. It’s hugely demotivating and unjust.”
Last week, in a video message, the 38-year-old said that her film was still stuck with the censor board. She had also said she was under pressure not to show the assassination of the former prime minister by her security guards.
“This is an unbelievable time for me and I am very sorry for this state of things in this country,” she rued.
The CBFC has also received a legal notice from Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) seeking to prevent the release of Ms Ranaut’s film, claiming it may “incite communal tensions” and “spread misinformation”.
The release of the period political drama was previously scheduled to be released on November 24, 2023.
The movie is facing the latest roadblock just a week after Ms Ranaut was reprimanded by the BJP leadership over her controversial remarks on farmers’ protest. “Kangana Ranaut is not authorised to speak on policy matters on behalf of the party and has not been given permission to do so. The BJP has directed Ms Ranaut to refrain from making such statements in the future,” the party said.
The BJP’s disapproval came after the BJP MP suggested that the farmers’ protest could have led to a Bangladesh-like crisis in India if not for the strong steps taken by the government.