Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency Gets U/A Certificate By Censor Board With Cuts, Edits and Disclaimers

As per reports, the makers have been asked to cut a few scenes and add disclaimers on the historical events depicted in the film. CBFC guidelines state that a disclaimer is a must for films that are based on historical events or incidents. Emergency delves into the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the controversial 21-month emergency period from 1975 to 1977 — one of the most dreadful periods in Indian history. As soon as trailer was released, it sparked protests and debates for Gandhi's portrayal of politics, power and her rigid rule. The depiction of a few historical events in Emergency triggered the unrest, protests and demands on ban of the film.

Several films have been made on Indira Gandhi or emergency, and have been subjected to scrutiny. Historical or political events involving high-profile or key leaders have always been a sensitive topic. The interpretation of historical or political events or narratives draws attention not only from the audience but also from the higher authorities and religious outfits.

Earlier, a CBFC official told a reporter that the panel does not ask the producers to add any disclaimers without watching the film. They suggest disclaimers only when a film has a historical/research-based/non-fiction premise, because ''sometimes filmmakers simply write ‘inspired by true events...’ which is vague. However, it differs from case to case.”

After extensive review, the censor board committee has recommended filmmakers to remove or replace certain scenes, showing a Pakistani soldier hitting an infant’s head and three women being beheaded during an attack on Bangladeshi refugees during the Bangladesh-Pakistan conflict. The CBFC ensures that scenes like ''showing involvement of children in violence as victims or perpetrators or as forced witnesses to violence, or showing children as being subjected to any form of child abuse'' be not depicted in a film.

Makers are also asked by the board to remove an expletive shouted by a crowd after a leader’s death. They have also asked for a change in a family’s surname in a line. The CBFC also requested factual sources for all research, statistics, and details about Bangladeshi refugees, court rulings, and permission to use archival footage from ‘Operation Bluestar.’

What was Emergency’s controversy?

Emergency was postponed due to protests by Sikh communities for allegedly showing them in bad light and twisting facts. A notice was sent by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to the producers, including Ranaut who has directed and co-produced the film, apart from acting. The group sought a written apology for the alleged misrepresentation of facts and history and demanded the removal of the trailer from public and social media platforms.

SGPC secretary Partap Singh claimed that the film portrays the character of many Sikhs, including Jarnail Singh Khalsa Bhindranwale, as terrorists and separatists. Several Sikh groups also burnt the film's posters in Bathinda, demanding Kangana's arrest and also requested theatre owners not to screen the film.

The legal hurdles

Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the film's producer, had approached the Bombay High Court seeking an order for the CBFC to issue a certificate for Emergency. On September 4, the Bombay HC declined to direct orders to the censor board to issue a certificate. The court didn't want to intervene due to a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had directed the CBFC to consider the representation of the petitioner Sikh groups raising objections to the film before issuing the certificate to the movie. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) issued a legal notice to the CBFC, demanding that the board revoke its certificate. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee and Telangana Sikh Society were also against the release of the film. 

Emergency has piqued the interest of public due to the controversies. After CBFC's approval, we are now eagerly waiting for the film to see the day of light soon.