Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency called ‘anti-Sikh’ not just by SGPC. Even BJP members oppose it
New Delhi: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee on Tuesday sent a legal notice to the producers of actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming movie, Emergency, alleging misrepresentation of the history of Sikhs. They have demanded the removal of certain objectionable scenes that, according to them, have hurt Sikh sentiments.
Emergency, slated to hit theatres on 6 September, is based on the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. It has been written, directed, and produced by Ranaut, who is a BJP MP in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.
The trailer shows people from the Sikh Community firing indiscriminately at people of the Hindu community. And Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, while striking a deal with Sanjay Gandhi has been shown promising the Congress party leaders to secure votes for them in exchange for Khalistan. In a movie about the Emergency, which lasted for 21 months between 1975 and 1977, many are curious why the trailer chose to highlight the Sikh issue that rose only much later.
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Anti-Sikh narrative
The SGPC petition alleges that such scenes in the trailer are without any historical basis and are simply a “gimmick” to defame the Sikh community and its religious institutions. It states that the trailer “deliberately misrepresents” the character of Sikhs and creates an “anti-Sikh narrative”.
BJP National Secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral have also raised their voice against the film.
“No filmmaker irrespective of party affiliations should have the license to distort history and portray a brave community, which has always made the highest sacrifices for the country as anti-national,” said Gujral. “This filmmaker (Kangana Ranaut) has been constantly attacking the Sikh community and their role in the peaceful farmers protest in which more than 700 farmers lost their lives.”
Gujral urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to be more sensitive while green-lighting such films that disturb the social harmony of the country.
Sirsa has asked to remove the scenes that falsely portray Sikh history and show them in a bad light. According to him, no film should portray any particular community in a bad light. The BJP leader also said that such instances put a question on the party’s image.
“People tend to think that the whole party has the same sentiment, which isn’t the case. Whatever needs to be communicated (with context to the film) to the party high command has already been done,” Sirsa said.
In the notice sent by the SGPC, the producers of the movie, including Ranaut, have been asked to remove the trailer released on 14 August, from public and social media platforms and seek an apology from the community.
Also read: Kangana’s ‘rape & dead bodies’ remarks on farmers’ agitation land BJP in soup in poll-bound Haryana
‘Double standards’ of government
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, in a post on X, called it a “despicable act” of disrespecting the nation by creating “an anti-Sikh narrative about the great martyrs of June 1984. It is clear from the released excerpts of the film Emergency that it deliberately misrepresents the character of Sikhs as terrorists, which is part of a deep conspiracy.”
Dhami also urged the central government to file a case against Ranaut. The SGPC petition demands directions to the Punjab DGP to register an FIR under the Cinematograph Act, and BNS (Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita) 2023, against the actor, and others associated with the film.
“Kangana Ranaut has often deliberately made expressions that provoke the sentiments of Sikhs, but instead of taking action, the government is protecting her. The government should file a case against her for inciting the religious sentiments of Sikhs,” Dhami wrote.
The SGPC president also called out the “double standards” of the government for allowing a film like Emergency to be released when Diljit Dosanjh’s Punjab ’95 hasn’t got a CBFC certificate even after 85 cuts.
“On the one hand, the film ‘Punjab ’95’, based on the life of Sikh activist Bhai Jaswant Singh Khalra, who spoke about human rights, was not approved for release even after 85 cuts were made, while the film presenting false facts about the Sikh community was approved. The Emergency film has been approved for immediate release. These double standards are not in the interest of the country, so the government needs to think about it,” he added.
Additionally, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a ban on the release of the movie. The PIL has called the film an attempt to destroy the social fabric of the state of Punjab.
ThePrint reached out to Ranaut’s team but they refused to comment on the issue.
Meanwhile, an Australia-based Sikh council has also demanded a ban on the release of Emergency.
In a letter to Village Cinemas, an Australian-based multinational film exhibition brand, the Sikh Council wrote, “We are deeply concerned about screening this propaganda movie at your theatres. This film reportedly depicts the role of ex-prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, in a heroic role and Sikh martyrs in a manner that is profoundly disrespectful and misrepresents historical events that are significant and traumatic to the Sikh community.”
Emergency also stars Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, and Mahima Chaudhry.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)
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