“Unbelievable Time”: Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ Stuck With Censor Board

Kangana Ranaut said on Friday that her film ‘Emergency’, where she essays the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is still stuck with the film certification board contrary to rumours that it has been cleared for release.

The actor, who is also a first-time MP, claimed that she and the members of the Central Board of Film Certification or CBFC have been receiving threats.

“There are rumours that our film ‘Emergency’ has got a censor certificate. It is not true. In fact, our film was cleared earlier but its certification has been stopped because of several threats,” Ms Ranaut said in a video message posted on X.

“People of the censor board are also getting a lot of threats. There is pressure on us to not show the assassination of Mrs Gandhi, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the Punjab riots. I don’t know what we will show then, that there is a blackout in the film? This is unbelievable time for me and I am very sorry for this state of things in this country,” the actor lamented.

#Emergency pic.twitter.com/Klko20kkqY

— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 30, 2024

The movie was scheduled to release on September 6. 

Earlier today, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) sent a legal notice to the CBFC seeking to prevent the release of Ms Ranaut’s film, claiming it may “incite communal tensions” and “spread misinformation”.

“Such depictions are not only misleading but also deeply offensive and damaging to the social fabric of Punjab and the entire nation. It is apparent that Ranaut has chosen the subject of the Emergency not to make a genuine political or historical statement against Congress, but rather to target the Sikh community,” the notice sent on August 27 claimed.

It claimed the movie portrays the Sikh community in an “unjust and negative light”.

On Tuesday, the actor reached out to the police for help after a video of a group of men threatening her over the release of her next film ‘Emergency’ surfaced on social media.

Several organisations, including the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee have demanded a ban on the release of the film, claiming it spreads an “anti-Sikh” narrative, and misrepresents Sikhs as “separatists”.