‘Emergency’ movie row: Madhya Pradesh High Court sends notice to Kangana Ranaut, CBFC
A still from Emergency starring Kangana Ranaut Photo credit: Special Arrangements
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking its response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the release of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’.
Notices were issued to Ms. Ranaut, her production house Manikarnika Films, Central and Madhya Pradesh governments, Zee Studios and social media platforms.
A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf issued the notice, asking the CBFC to clarify whether the biopic on former prime minister Indira Gandhi has been cleared yet. Miss Ranaut is playing the role of former prime minister in the film.
Notices have been sent to Umesh Bansal, Chief Business Officer of YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Zee Studios. The court has sought their reply before the next hearing on September 3.
The bench was hearing a writ petition filed by two Sikh organizations — Jabalpur Sikh Sangat and Guru Singh Sabha, Indore — objecting to the film’s trailer and portrayal of the Sikh community. The petitioners said scenes in the film violated the fundamental rights of Sikhs and demanded an unconditional apology from Ms. Ranaut.
Objecting to the use of the word ‘Khalistan’, advocate Narinder Pal Singh Ruprah, appearing for the petitioners, said the depiction could lead to the turban-wearing young Sikh children being called ‘Khalistani’.
“Our young children wear turbans to school. Others will tease them as Khalistani. It is a pride for every Sikh to join the Indian Army. Sri Guru Granth Sahib (religious text of the community) has 1,430 pages and 2,500 times, the word ‘Ram’ is used. The entire history of Sikhs is so intertwined with that of Hindus that you cannot differentiate between Hindus and Sikhs,” said Mr Ruprah.
Alleging that Ms. Ranaut had made an “irresponsible” film, the petitioners sought an unconditional apology from her to the nation, along with compensation to a Sikh charity.
The movie, written by Ms. Ranaut, was originally slated for a November 2023 release but has been postponed multiple times. It was supposed to be released on September 28.
Ms. Ranaut, Member of Lok Sabha from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, has on several occasions accused the CBFC of blocking the release of her film and alleged that CBFC officials received threats over the film.
