Kangana Ranaut opens up about the challenges faced while making ‘Emergency,’ revealing the struggles behind the film’s production, including funding issues and censorship. She also shared a controversial take on the 1978 film Kissa Kursi Ka with ANI, claiming its director was driven to suicide due to intense pressure.

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Actor-turned-politician Kangana Ranaut is at the centre of controversy again as she promotes her upcoming movie Emergency, based on the 1975 Emergency imposed by former PM Indira Gandhi. Known for her bold statements, the Mandi MP recently shared the struggles behind getting the film made, revealing in an interview with ANI how even the director of the 1978 Kissa Kursi Ka, another film based on Indira Gandhi’s life, was pushed to commit suicide due to a “situation” created for him.

The 38-year old actor shared her thoughts on the challenges of making Emergency in an interview with ANI, saying, “Mrs. Gandhi par aaj tak koi film nahi bana paya. Inspired bolna, naam kuch rakh dena, iss tarah se bane hai kuch kisso pe, lekin ek entirety mein koi nahi bana paya.” (No one has ever made a film about Mrs. Gandhi (Indira Gandhi) that truly captures everything. People might say it’s inspired, but no one has done it in its entirety).

She also recalled the story of Kissa Kursi Ka, a 1978 satire on Indira Gandhi’s politics, adding, “Ek film bani thi Kissa Kursi Ka ke kisse aaj bhi chalte hai. Aaakhir mein director ko aatmahatya karni padi gayi thi..iss tarah ka mahaul unke liye kar diya gaya tha.” (The director of that film had to commit suicide because of the intense pressure put on him.)

Kissa Kursi Ka was banned during the Emergency period by the Indian government, and all copies of the film were seized. However, there are no news reports of director Amrit Nahata committing suicide. Instead, the former member of parliament, passed away in 2001 at the age of 74 during an operation at Escorts Hospital in Delhi.

The Queen actor also said, “Mujhe bilkul bhi pata nahi tha ki mujhe itni mushkilein aayengi is film ko banate waqt… usually, meri films kaafi comfortable budget mein banti hain lekin is baar mujhe bahut struggles ka samna karna pada – chahe wo studios ya funds se related ho. Sabse badi struggle thi ki koi bhi iss film ke release ko lekar confident nahi tha. ‘Kya yeh film kabhi release hogi ya nahi?’ Yeh sawal hamesha humare dimaag mein tha.” (I didn’t expect to go through such tough times. My films are usually made with a comfortable budget, but this time, we struggled with studios and funds. The biggest challenge was that no one believed the film would actually be released. The question was always, ‘Will it ever be seen or not?’)

Censor issues with the movie ‘Emergency’

Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency was initially set to release on September 6 but faced delays due to certification issues with the CBFC (Censor Board of Film Certification).

The film eventually received a U/A certificate, although the board recommended 13 cuts.

Addressing the situation, she said, “I would have liked that the full version would have come. But with the cuts, there is no issue, because it’s not like the film was made to mock someone. It’s not like that. It’s fine. They completely removed some episodes of history. And the fact that it doesn’t impact my film, in a way, it is a testimony of that, that it doesn’t matter.”