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Emergency (2025 film)

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Emergency
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKangana Ranaut
Screenplay byRitesh Shah
Story byKangana Ranaut
Produced byKangana Ranaut
Zee Studios
Renu Pitti
Starring
CinematographyTetsuo Nagata
Edited byRameshwar S. Bhagat
Music bySongs:
G. V. Prakash Kumar
Arko
Score:
Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara
Production
companies
Manikarnika Films
Zee Studios
Distributed byZee Studios
Release date
  • 17 January 2025 (2025-01-17)
Running time
146 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹60 crore[2][3]
Box office₹17.44 crore[4]

Emergency is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language historical biographical drama film[5] directed and co-produced by Kangana Ranaut, based on a screenplay by Ritesh Shah and story written by Ranaut.[6] Based on the Indian Emergency, it stars Ranaut as former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.[7][8]

Principal photography commenced in July 2022 and ended in January 2023.[9] It was originally scheduled for release on 6 September 2024, but was postponed due to pending certification of the Central Board of Film Certification.[10][11] Later, it was cleared by CBFC and released on 17 January 2025 to mixed-to-negative reviews from film critics.[12][13][14] The film also emerged as a box-office flop.[15][16][17]

Plot

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After India's independence, Indira Gandhi is told about the war of Indrapastha and the struggle for power in the potrayal of modern-day India. Following this, we see a quick montage of her actions to protect Assam and rising to the top of the Congress. At first, she is wanted to be used as a puppet, however, after she goes against the Syndicate's wishes to stop Operation Searchlight and negotiate with big world powers, with the support of Vajpayee's opposition, she weakens inner-party opposition.

Her victory in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 leads to an "Indira wave" where she is considered the Durga of India and has lots of popular support. However, she would later face losses when a court case in Allahbad forces her to resign her post. She, paranoid by the opposition's tactics against her and her party, decides to call an Emergency.

At first, she attempts to weaken the Opposition, but quickly becomes obsessed and negatively impacts the nation. Throughout the era, we see that her son Sanjay Gandhi taking power from her hands and quickly forcing a vasectomy programme and bulldozing of slum houses, killing one. On 15 Aug, 1975, she attempts to break Emergency in a speech, but the killings of Emergency leader of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rehman makes her more paranoid and she doesn't mention it. Finally however, after consulting her spiritual advisor, and seeing the damage caused by her and her son, she lifts it in 1977 and calls elections. Her furious son starts to despise her "political suicide," while once-imprisoned leaders of the Janata (People) Party take their official oath.

After this, she moves into a regular home, but gets arrested, possibly due to corruption. Without resisting, and wishing to repent her actions, she goes in and breaks down in prison after protesters wish her death and other bad things. She realizes the extent of damage she caused. Later, farmers struck with a massive famine for two years appeal to her, crying. They attempted to sell produce after two years but gangsters immolate them. She decides to go riding an elephant to the remote village and promises to always help them with their food problems. This immediately puts her in a favourable view again, as the Janata Party never helped the village despite them giving votes, while the losing Indira Gandhi did help them. And because of this, she is given back the Prime Ministership

The first two important things of her role is firstly, her son dying attempting to do an aerobatic stunt, and people celebrating in the streets due to his death. She breaks down into tears realizing that her own son was not a good person. She decides to try to do everything to make it up. Also, a radical Brindhawale rises to power in Panjab and takes arms at the Golden Temple. She wishes to enter, stating that no evil person is immune for any reason. Her PA says that this may cause her Sikh bodyguards to hurt her and that they should be dismissed, but she objects; saying that no side can be alienated due to terrorism. Finally, on 31 October, Beant and Satwant Singh, her bodyguard shoot her. The movie ends with her last speech the day before in Odisha, where she states that she is not supposed to rule over India but she is made to serve India.

Cast

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Music

[edit]
Emergency
Soundtrack album by
G. V. Prakash Kumar and Arko
Released31 August 2024
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length18:47
LanguageHindi
LabelZee Music Company
Official audio
Emergency (Audio Jukebox) on YouTube

The film features four songs composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and one song composed by Arko. The film score is composed by Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara. Lyrics are written by Manoj Muntashir. The first single titled "Singhasan Khali Karo" was released on 26 August 2024.[25]

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Singhasan Khali Karo"Udit Narayan, Nakash Aziz, Nakul Abhyankar4:25
2."Ae Meri Jaan" (Music by Arko)Hariharan4:30
3."Shankhnaad Kar"Nakul Abhyankar, Neeti Mohan, Romy3:53
4."Beqarariyaan"Monali Thakur3:27
5."Sarkar Ko Salaam Hai"Sreerama Chandra2:32
Total length:18:47

Production

[edit]

Before its release, Emergency faced delays due to concerns raised by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The board demanded modifications to certain scenes, resulting in the postponement of the film's release. The CBFC granted a U/A certificate on the condition that the filmmakers implement specific cuts and provide factual sources for controversial historical claims depicted in the movie.[26]

Release

[edit]

Initially announced to release in October–November 2023, the film was re-scheduled to release on 14 June 2024.[27][28] It was again postponed due to the Lok Sabha elections,[29] scheduled to be released on 6 September 2024.[30] On 30 August, Ranaut claimed the film was being denied a certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification, possibly due to external pressures.[31] The Government of Telangana has also considered a ban on the film due to objections raised by the Sikh community members.[32] On 17 October, Ranaut shared on social media that the film had been finally cleared by the CBFC,[33] and the film was released on 17 January 2025.[34] On 11 January 2025, the inaugural special screening of the film took place in Nagpur, India. The event was attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and hosted by Kangana Ranaut and Anupam Kher.[35][36]

Emergency has been banned in Bangladesh due to escalating political tensions between India and Bangladesh. Officials have indicated that the decision was more related to the current diplomatic dynamics between the two nations rather than the film's content.[37]

Reception

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Box office

[edit]

The film earned ₹2 crore on its opening day, aided by Cinema Lovers Day, when tickets were available at cheaper price.[38] It made an additional ₹3 crore on the second day,[39] and ₹3.7 crore on the third, for an opening weekend collection of ₹8.7 crore.[40]

As of 22 January 2025, Emergency has grossed ₹15.36 crore (US$1.8 million) in India, with a further ₹2.08 crore (US$240,000) overseas, for a worldwide total of ₹17.44 crore (US$2.0 million),[4] emerging a box-office bomb.[15][41]

Critical response

[edit]

Dhaval Roy of Times of India gave the film 2.5 stars (out of 5) and wrote, "Emergency is hindered by its overly dramatised approach and one-dimensional portrayals. The lack of narrative fluidity and context undermines the attempt to narrate an important chapter in Indian history."[12] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV called it a "monumental muddle" that demonstrates how not to make a biographical drama, giving the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5 and writing, "The film wades through the early years of Indira Gandhi's life pretty much in the manner that it treats the rest of it—hastily, superficially, and risibly."[13] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express deemed it as a "confused" biopic that is weak in craft, giving the film 1.5 stars (out of 5) and writing, "For the most part, Emergency is more a scattershot caricature of time, place, and people, riddled with tacky computer graphics."[14] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll deemed it as "parodic" biopic and wrote, "Ranaut's portrayal of Indira Gandhi itself raises the suspicion that the actor who has previously played iconic women leaders—the Queen of Jhansi, J. Jayalalithaa—is parodying the historical biopic this time round."[42] Angel Rani of Deccan Herald gave the film 2 stars (out of 5) and dismissed Ranaut's portrayal of Indira Gandhi as "meek mimicry".[43]

Deven Sharma of Filmfare gave the film three out of five, writing, "The film is well-directed by Kangana Ranaut, who, thanks to great makeup and prosthetics, looks exactly like Indira Gandhi in the first frame but later starts looking like herself."[44] Mayank Shekhar of Mid-Day gave the film 3 stars, calling it a "pretty solid biopic of Indira Gandhi—packed with historical events, and human empathy".[45] Lachmi Deb Roy of Firstpost gave the film three out of five, calling the film "a bold cinematic retelling of one of the most controversial periods in Indian politics." She further wrote, "Kangana Ranaut shines as a director and a craftsman. Not just Kangana, Mahima Chaudhury, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade and Vishak Nair did justice to their roles in Emergency."[46]

Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India wrote, "Emergency—which lacks both skill and self-awareness—is yet another brick in the wall of modern Bollywood."[47] Sana Farzeen of India Today rated it 2.5 out of 5 and called it a rushed crash course on Indira Gandhi's life that struggles to delve deeply into key historical events and character motivations.[48] Utkarsh Mishra of Rediff gave the film a rating of 1 out of 5 and panned Ranaut's portrayal, noting that her character is almost always teary-eyed and lacking in confidence with voice modulation that falls flat.[49] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote, "Marked by uneven storytelling, the biopic comes across more as a selective recreation of archival material to serve today's political narrative than a compelling take on the darkest chapter of Indian democracy."[50] Lekha Menon of Khaleej Times gave the film 2 stars (out of 5) noting, "The film feels like a trying-to-be-a-serious school play rather than a refined, complex portrayal of power and corruption."[51]

The film has faced significant backlash from Sikh organizations, particularly the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which accuses it of distorting historical events related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and defaming the Sikh community. In response to these protests, several theaters in the Indian state of Punjab chose not to screen the film.[52]

Internationally, the film faced protests in the United Kingdom, where Sikh groups organized demonstrations against Emergency, disrupting its screening at some cinemas during its opening weekend. The Sikh Press Association stated that the film was seen as anti-Sikh, leading to canceled screenings in cities such as Birmingham and Wolverhampton.[53]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "REVEALED: Emergency yet to get censor certificate; here are the cuts asked by the CBFC in the Kangana Ranaut-starrer". Bollywood Hungama. 31 August 2024. Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  2. ^ Singh, Simran (18 January 2025). "Emergency box office collection: Kangana Ranaut's film jumps on Saturday, earns Rs 6 crore in two days". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 18 January 2025. As per the trade portals, Emergency is made in the budget of Rs 60 crores (Inclusive Print and Advertising costs).
  3. ^ Panwar, Rosy (19 January 2025). "Emergency Box Office Collection Day 2: 60 करोड़ के बजट वाली कंगना रनौत की इमरजेंसी ने आजाद को पछाड़ा, दो दिनों में कमाए इतने" [Emergency Box Office Collection Day 2: Kangana Ranaut's Emergency with a budget of 60 crores beats Azad, earns this much in two days]. NDTV (in Hindi). Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Emergency (2025) Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  5. ^ "Emergency". British Board of Film Classification. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a state of national emergency in this Hindi-language historical biographical drama, which contains bloody and potentially distressing scenes of violence.
  6. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's first look from her upcoming film 'Emergency' is out". The Indian Express. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Kangana Ranaut to direct Indira Gandhi film Emergency". 24 June 2021. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Emergency First Look". Bollywood Hungama. 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  9. ^ "Emergency Movie by Kangana Ranaut". Bollywood Hungama. 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  10. ^ "Kangana Ranaut confirms postponement of her directorial debut movie 'Emergency'". The Economic Times. 20 September 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  11. ^ Gupta, Shekhar (10 September 2024). "कंगना की फिल्म इमरजेंसी पर क्यों उठे सवाल". Dainik Bhaskar (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 10 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b Roy, Dhaval (17 January 2025). "Emergency Movie Review: The retelling of a defining era marred by a disjointed narrative". Times of India. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  13. ^ a b Chatterjee, Saibal (17 January 2025). "Emergency Review: Kangana Ranaut's Film Is A Lesson In How Not To Make A Biopic". NDTV. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  14. ^ a b Gupta, Shubhra (17 January 2025). "Emergency movie review: Kangana Ranaut's confused Indira Gandhi biopic is weak in craft". The Indian Express. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Kangana Ranaut's Box Office drought: 31 Films, 22 Flops, and 6 consecutive misses in a decade without a Hit". Bollywood Hungama. 28 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  16. ^ Mathur, Abhimanyu (22 January 2025). "Analysing the Emergency box office debacle: Politics, perception of bias, or delay, what hurt the Kangana Ranaut film". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  17. ^ Das, Tina (20 January 2025). "Kangana's 'Emergency' crosses 10 crore—a lesser flop than her last few films". ThePrint. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  18. ^ "Anupam Kher Is Introduced As Jaya Prakash Narayanan From Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency' Movie". The Hans India. 22 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Shreyas Talpade plays Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Kangana Ranaut's Emergency". The Hindu. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Mahima Chaudhry to play Indira Gandhi's confidante Pupul Jayakar in Kangana Ranaut's Emergency". The Telegraph (India). 20 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Kangana Ranaut presents 'dynamic' Milind Soman as Sam Manekshaw in Emergency, reveals his first look. See pic". Hindustan Times. 25 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Emergency: Kangana Ranaut Introduces Vishak Nair As Sanjay Gandhi; Check His First Look Here". News18. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  23. ^ "Kangana Ranaut introduces Satish Kaushik as Jagjivan Ram in her upcoming film 'Emergency'". 28 September 2022. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  24. ^ Singh, Deepanshu (4 May 2024). "Echoes of Silence: The Untold Chronicles of Emergency 2024". Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
  25. ^ "Kangana Ranaut starrer Emergency reignites 1975 uprising with the song 'Singhasan Khali Karo'". Bollywood Hungama. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  26. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's movie Emergency cleared with a U/A certificate; few cuts to be implemented". The Times of India. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  27. ^ "Kangana Ranaut starrer Emergency set to release on June 14, 2024; to clash with Kartik Aaryan's Chandu Champion". Bollywood Hungama. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's "Emergency" Release Postponed, Set to Clash with Kartik Aaryan's "Chandu Champion" on June 14, 2024". Bru Times News. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's Emergency postponed again due to Lok Sabha elections". Bollywood Hungama. 16 May 2024. Archived from the original on 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  30. ^ "Kangana Ranaut starrer Emergency to now release on September 6, 2024". Bollywood Hungama. 25 June 2024. Archived from the original on 25 June 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Kangana Ranaut claims Emergency DENIED certification by CBFC amid ban calls: "I am determined to even go to court to protect my film"". Bollywood Hungama. 30 August 2024. Archived from the original on 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  32. ^ "Telangana government considering a ban on Kangana Ranaut's Emergency following Sikh community concerns". Bollywood Hungama. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's Emergency receives censor certificate; release date to be announced soon". Bollywood Hungama. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency' finally gets its release date, Indira Gandhi's biopic to release next year". India TV. 18 November 2024. Archived from the original on 18 November 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  35. ^ "Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Attends Special Screening of 'Emergency' With Kangana Ranaut and Anupam Kher". Bru Times News.
  36. ^ "Kangana Ranaut holds first screening of Emergency for Nitin Gadkari: 'After 6 months of struggle". H Times.
  37. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's Emergency Banned in Bangladesh Due to Ongoing Political Dynamics With India". The Indian Express. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  38. ^ "Box Office: Emergency is fair, Azaad low on Friday". Bollywood Hungama. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  39. ^ "Emergency Box Office: Kangana Ranaut starrer grows on Saturday". Bollywood Hungama. 19 January 2025. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  40. ^ "Emergency Box Office: Kangana Ranaut starrer has a fair weekend, all eyes on hold over the weekdays". Bollywood Hungama. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  41. ^ Mathur, Abhimanyu (22 January 2025). "Analysing the Emergency box office debacle: Politics, perception of bias, or delay, what hurt the Kangana Ranaut film". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  42. ^ Ramnath, Nandani (17 January 2025). "Emergency' review: A parodic Indira Gandhi biopic". Scroll. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  43. ^ Rani, Angel (17 January 2025). "'Emergency' movie review: From 'iron lady' to meek mimicry, Kangana's Indira falls short". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  44. ^ Sharma, Deven (17 January 2025). "Emergency Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut's show all the way". Filmfare. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  45. ^ Shekhar, Mayank (18 January 2025). "Emergency movie review: Kangana Ranaut's film is a pretty solid biopic of Indira Gandhi". Mid-day. Mumbai. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  46. ^ Roy, Lachmi Das (18 January 2025). "Emergency Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut nailed the role of Indira Gandhi with her nasal twang & facial expressions". Firstpost. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
  47. ^ Desai, Rahul (17 January 2025). "'Emergency' Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut Places the Hindi Historical Under Curfew". The Hollywood Reporter India. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  48. ^ Farzeen, Sana (17 January 2025). "Emergency review: Kangana Ranaut delivers a rushed crash course on Indira Gandhi". India Today. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  49. ^ Mishra, Utkarsh (17 January 2025). "Emergency Review: Kangana's Disaster". Rediff. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  50. ^ Kumar, Anuj (17 January 2025). "'Emergency' movie review: Kangana Ranaut turns Indira Gandhi's life into a lopsided listicle". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  51. ^ Menon, Lekha (18 January 2025). "'Emergency' movie review: Kangana Ranaut's movie is too flat to be taken seriously". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  52. ^ "Sikh protests erupt against Emergency film for its portrayal of the 1984 riots". Perigon Entertainment News. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  53. ^ "British Sikh groups disrupt Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency' screenings in UK". Business Standard. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
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