Kangana Ranaut recently spoke up about the hard knocks and controversy around her very first solo directional work, Emergency. Interviewed candidly for News18, actor-director Ranaut reflected upon some of the very wrong choices that she perhaps made regarding making the film – to go and direct herself, and the second, why on earth one had to be theatrical when, arguably, all she needed to have done was an OTT play.
Kangana, on the various delays in its release, called the experience ‘scary, particularly when she felt that her film was deliberately kept from her for months since the Central Board of Film Certification refused to certify it. About releasing the movie in theatres, she is filled with some regrets: “I felt it was a wrong decision to release in theatres, and I had thought I should have got an OTT play.”. I also wouldn’t have had to go through censorship then, and my film wouldn’t have been dissected. I didn’t know what all they (the CBFC) would remove and let us keep.
The CBFC, responsible for certifying the films to be viewed in the public in India, was the bone of contention for Emergency, and it added a whole lot of time to the length of review for the film. Kangana had always believed that releasing the film on OTT could have evaded the hurdles of censorship where the content wasn’t scrutinized as much and the film might have reached an audience more directly.
She reflected on her release strategy, the decision to direct the film and admitted to perhaps being overconfident with the approach she used. “I felt that I made wrong choices on many levels: first, wanting to direct this film. I took it for granted that even though we don’t have a Congress government… I previously talked about the movie Kissa Kursi Ka. Nobody has seen that film to date and back then, they burnt all the prints. Also, nobody made films about Mrs. Gandhi. Upon watching Emergency, today’s generation will be surprised to think how she became like that; after all, she became PM three times. I underestimated things and thought that I would be able to get away by making a film on Emergency.”
It narrates the story of the past Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, along with Kangana Ranaut starring in the leading role. Both the Emergency phase and Operation Bluestar hold great importance to Indian politics in the film as well. Major actors such as Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Ashok Chhabra, Mahima Chaudhry, Milind Soman, Vishak Nair, and the late actor Satish Kaushik are also accompanied by Kangana in the movie.
After several delays, Emergency is now set to release in cinemas on January 17. Despite the setbacks, Kangana remains determined to see her vision on the big screen, though her reflections on the journey highlight some of the tough lessons she has learned along the way.
Kangana’s candor regarding the difficulties she faced while shooting Emergency shows that she understands the nuances involved in making a film and dealing with the political sensitivities of the subject. The wait is for the audience’s reaction to the eventual release of the film.
