Kangana Ranaut confirms delay in release of Emergency; says ‘with heavy heart…’

Actor-politician Kangana Ranaut announced the postponement of her directorial debut on Friday, citing delays in censor board clearance. The development came a little more than a day after the Bombay High Court refused to order certification for ‘Emergency’. The movie starring Ranaut as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was initially slated for release on September 6.

“With a heavy heart I announce that my directorial Emergency has been postponed, we are still waiting for the certification from censor board, new release date will be announced soon, thanks for your understanding and patience,” she wrote on X.

Emergency had become mired in controversy after Sikh organisations — including the Shiromani Akali Dal — objected to the film, and accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong. The matter is currently in court with the next hearing slated for September 19.

Earlier this week 

Zee Entertainment Enterprises — the co-producer company of Emergency — approached the Bombay High Court earlier this week seeking the release of the film. A petition filed with the court claimed that the censor board had arbitrarily and illegally withheld the censor certificate of the film. Ranaut has also accused the Central Board of Film Certification of stalling the certification to delay the release.

“There have been rumours circulating that my film 'Emergency' has been certified by the Censor Board. This is not true. While our film did receive clearance from the CBFC, the certification was on hold due to numerous death threats against members of the Censor Board,” Ranaut had clarified last week.

According to reports, the CBFC had issued a letter seeking modifications to the film on August 8. Zee and the co-producers submitted the film 'Emergency' with the required revisions and cuts on August 14. Following this the co-producers had received an email from the CBFC on August 29, stating that the CD was sealed. They were asked to collect the certificate from the CBFC office. A later email indicated that the film certificate had been successfully prepared and a certificate number generated.

(With inputs from agencies)