Emergency Movie Banned? Why Sikhs Are Opposing Release Of Kangana Ranaut Starrer

Emergency, a project helmed by and featuring Kangana Ranaut, is based on the period when emergency was imposed in the country in 1975. Kangana will essay the lead role in the movie, that of Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi also referred to as 'Iron Lady'. While the trailer of the film was well-received in mid-August, as its release date (September 6) approaches, it has been mired in controversy over the depiction of Sikhs.

Kangana has alleged that the movie is stuck with the censor board even as she and other cast members continue to receive death threats. But why is the Sikh community opposed to Emergency release and its alleged controversial content?

Sikh sentiments hurt by Emergency, but why?

In a video issued on social media, Kangana said, "There is pressure on us to not show the assassination of Mrs Gandhi, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the Punjab riots." About Emergency, it has been alleged that the film depicts Sikhs as terrorists and anti-nationals, a portrayal that is "offensive" and damaging to the community's image.

Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984. Two of the Prime Minister’s bodyguards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh, fired over 30 bullets at her from point blank range, purportedly to avenge the humiliation of Sikhs and the desecration of the Golden Temple during Operation Blue Star in June of that year.

Who is Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale?

Operation Blue Star, a military operation carried out in June 1984 ordered by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to root out a group of militant Sikh separatists who had occupied the Golden Temple, the Sikhs’ holiest shrine in Amritsar. The leader of the group was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh fundamentalist who sought the creation of an independent Sikh-majority country in Punjab state to be called Khalistan.

Bhindranwale's portrayal in the film is being thought of as controversial.

Calls for ban on Emergency

The Delhi unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has sent a legal notice to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking to stop the release of the film next week, citing concern over the portrayal of Sikh historical figures.

In its notice, SAD alleged that the depiction of the Sikh community in the movie is misrepresented to promote hatred and discord.

Meanwhile, a delegation from the Telangana Sikh Society, led by former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Tejdeep Kaur Menon, also requested for a ban on the screening of Emergency. Government adviser Mohammad Ali Shabbir requested chief minister Revanth Reddy to consider banning the film in Telangana.

Kangana says she is receiving death and rape threats

In the matter, Kangana Ranaut told IANS, “Hopefully, my film gets cleared from the censor. And the day we were about to get the certificate, a lot of people did a lot of drama.”

In another video posted on Instagram, she shared, "People of the censor board are also getting a lot of threats. This is unbelievable time for me and I am very sorry for this state of things in this country."