Kangana Ranaut's Emergency to miss Sept 6 release date; Bombay HC refuses CBFC to issue certificate

Kangana Ranaut

Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the co-producer of the movie Emergency, approached the Bombay High Court on Wednesday to request the film's release and obtain a censor certificate. However, the court ruled against the movie, leading to another delay in its release date, much to Kangana Ranaut's disappointment.

Kangana Ranaut's Emergency release date postponed yet again

PTI took to their 'X' platform (formerly Twitter) to report, "Kangana Ranaut-starrer ‘Emergency' to miss Sept 6 release; HC refuses to direct Censor Board to issue certificate immediately"

But, what happened before this? Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the makers behind 'Emergency' submitted a petition to Bombay HC regarding the CBFC certificate.

In the petition submitted to the court, it was stated that the censor board has "arbitrarily and illegally" held back the film's censor certificate. The petition also mentioned that the censor board had the certificate ready but wasn't issuing it.

As per ANI, "Zee Entertainment Enterprises, the co-producer company of the movie 'Emergency', approached the Bombay High Court seeking the release of actress Kangana Ranaut's film 'Emergency' and a censor certificate. A petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court, claiming that the censor board has arbitrarily and illegally withheld the censor certificate of the film. The petition will be heard today."

Ever since Emergency's trailer dropped online on August 14, there were growing objections and calls for ban on its release. Now, the Kangana Ranaut-directed biopic, which was slated to release on September 6, has been postponed. Reason? The makers have not received the go-ahead from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The political drama chronicles the life of the late Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, with an emphasis on how she imposed the Emergency in 1975 and her assassination by her bodyguards. While it was heard that the movie was cleared by the CBFC on August 29, the body apparently had a change of heart after it received a legal notice from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on August 30 seeking to prevent its release. The group claimed that the film may "incite communal tension", alleging that its trailer depicted "erroneous historical facts that not only misrepresent the Sikh community, but also promote hatred and social discord." Several Sikh groups too objected to the film.

The postponement comes as a setback for Ranaut, who has not only starred in and helmed the movie, but also co-produced it. A trade source says, "Kangana is deeply hurt by this unexpected turn of events. The CBFC had cleared Emergency on August 29. They even put out their list of suggested modifications - which included muting the word ‘saala' in a dialogue, modifying the term ‘Mr President' to ‘Rashtrapati-ji' and submitting factual information for certain sequences - on their website, and stated that the film was given a U/A certificate.