Kangana Ranaut starrer Emergency which was scheduled for theatrical release on September 6, got delayed after it landed in a massive controversy after Sikh organisations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, accused it of misrepresenting the community.
As per reports, the Bombay High Court on Thursday, September 19, directed the revising committee of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to decide by September 25, whether they want to release the film or not.
Makers approached the Bombay High Court
On Thursday, Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the co-producers of the film, informed the division bench of Justices Burgess Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla of the Bombay High Court that the release of Emergency has been delayed at the ''behest of the ruling party BJP''.
Senior advocate Venkatesh Dhond, who appeared for Zee, told the bench that the board wants the film to be released only after the Haryana elections in October are over. He said that Kangana is a BJP MP and ''the party do not want a film which hurts the sentiments of certain communities by a BJP member at a time when elections are around''.
''They are looking at their overall interests and thus do not want this film to be released. Ms. Ranaut has been asked to maintain discipline but I do not want to delve into this much,'' added Dhond.
.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max&format=webp&w=768&dpr=1.0)
What did the Bombay High Court say?
According to Bar and Bench, the court said the delay in releasing the certificate to the film has to stop as it would be curbing creative freedom and freedom of expression. The bench also remarked that the longer the film takes to get released, there will be a ‘huge’ financial burden on the producers.
Justice Colabawalla also said that ''creative freedom and the freedom of expression cannot be curtailed and the Censor Board cannot refuse to certify the film based on an apprehension of a law and order problem.”
Giving a deadline, the bench said, “You must decide by September 25 whether you want to release the film or not. We will appreciate the stand of the CBFC whatever it is. We will decide the issue even if you say that the film should not be released.''
The court remarks came after Abhinav Chandrachud, who appeared on behalf of CBFC, told that the censor board is reviewing representations. “There are some scenes in the movie wherein a person, a polarising figure of particular religious persuasion is cutting a deal with political parties. We have to see whether this is factually accurate,” Chandrachud said.
Emergency, written by Ranaut and co-produced by Zee Studios and the actor's Manikarnika films, is based on the 21-month emergency period from 1975 to 1977, imposed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Kangana is playing Gandhi. Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, Mahima Chaudhry and Milind Soman will be seen in pivotal roles.
The film has been postponed several times. It was slated to release last year, but was postponed to June this year. It again got delayed to September 6 due to the Lok Sabha elections.
