August 22, 2024: Bollywood actress-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut’s forthcoming film Emergency has caused a furore in Punjab ahead of its release next month. Apart from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which has objected to the portrayal of Sikhs in the film and demanded a ban on it in the state, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders have also opposed the film’s release and asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to clarify his stand on it.
The film is based on former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s declaration of a state of emergency in India in 1975. The trailer of the film was released on 14 August and the film is expected to be in the cinemas on 6 September.
Ranaut, now BJP’s MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, is playing Indira Gandhi in the film and her company Manikarnika Films is one of the producers of the film. Ranaut has also directed the film.In the trailer, slain Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale has been shown to be in cohorts with Indira Gandhi, promising to bring in votes for her Congress party in lieu of a separate Sikh state.Sikh hardliner Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, who was elected as an independent MP from Faridkot this year, was the first to object to the film after the trailer was launched.
Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film Emergency has stirred controversy in Punjab before its release next month, where she transitioned from being a Bollywood actress to a politician.
Besides the SGPC’s objection and call for a ban on the film due to its depiction of Sikhs, SAD leaders have also voiced their opposition to its release and requested Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to clarify his stance on the matter. The movie Is centered around Indira Gandhi’s announcement of a state of emergency in India in 1975. The film’s trailer debuted on August 14 and is scheduled to hit theaters on September 6.
The BJP's MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Ranaut, is portraying Indira Gandhi in the movie, which is being produced by her company Manikarnika Films. Ranaut, who directed the film, depicted slain Sikh militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in the trailer as being in partnership with Indira Gandhi, offering to secure votes for her Congress party in exchange for a distinct Sikh state.
Sarabjit Singh Khalsa, a Sikh extremist, was elected as an independent MP from Faridkot this year and was the first to raise concerns about the film once the trailer was released. In Parliament this year, Khalsa, the son of Beant Singh, one of the assassins of Indira Gandhi, is one of the two Sikh hardliners who were elected. Another individual, Amritpal Singh, is being held at Dibrugarh jail in Assam under the National Security Act. He also emerged victorious as an independent Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib.Khalsa has urged the Punjab government to take action to prohibit the movie in the state to prevent any potential disruption of law and order. The movie Is involved in a bigger scheme to smear the reputation of the Sikh community as well as other communities in the nation. An assault on the Sikh community necessitates action from the state government. He wrote that this film is fueling the increasing hate crimes against Sikhs in India.
Kangana Ranaut has been continuously making contentious and unsupportive comments regarding different events in Punjab. She discussed the participation of women in the farmers’ protest. Afterwards, she reportedly behaved inappropriately with a Sikh CISF employee at the airport. She stated that she has heard that she created a film portraying the Sikh community negatively. The movie was originally planned for a November release last year but was postponed until June of this year. Nevertheless, the launch was delayed once more because of the Lok Sabha elections.