The film “Emergency” by Kangana Ranaut has been postponed, embroiled in a lot of controversy related to the depiction of the Sikh community shown in the film. The outrage erupted in Punjab soon after its trailer was released. The film is still awaiting its clearance by the Certification Board. The film was earlier scheduled to hit the cinemas on September 6.
Sources say the film board has asked for further cuts. Its chairperson has asserted that the sentiments of all communities must be respected. Earlier this month, the Shiromani Akali Dal served a legal notice on the Board to ban the release of the movie on the ground that it may “demean the community, hurt its religious feelings and incite communal tensions” and “spread misinformation”.
The notice sent on August 27 said, “such depictions are not only misleading but also deeply offensive and damaging to the social fabric of Punjab and the entire nation.” It accused Kangana Ranaut of using the Emergency as a subject not to critique Congress, but to “target the Sikh community.”
The notice further claimed that the film represents the Sikh community in an “unjust and negative light.”
However, Ranaut has stood by her film and expressed readiness to defend it in court. She had earlier gone on X: “There is pressure on us not to show the killing of Mrs Gandhi, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the riots of Punjab. I wonder what then we will show.”
