Emergency review: Disconnected narrative dilutes the impact of Kangana Ranaut starrer

New Delhi: There were a lot of expectations from Kangana Ranaut starrer Emergency, which was finally released in theatres on January 17, 2025, after facing several challenges. But, it failed to leave an impact on its audience. While we expected it to be a narrative on the Emergency imposed in India by the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, it was more of a biopic with many loopholes and sudden jumps into different incidents during the era of Indira Gandhi.

The movie tries to capsulate the journey of Indira Gandhi as the first woman Prime Minister of India in a male-dominated world after the demise of Jawaharlal Nehru. However, the direction to dramatisation of each incident during the reign and rule of Indira Gandhi just comes and goes in the film, without providing much insight into them. Probably, the film left the audience to Google the facts about each incident shown in it and connect to its narrative.

Emergency movie review

The movie, Emergency, begins with showing a timid Indira Gandhi, who is unable to speak much and put forward her thoughts during meetings or Parliament sessions. After being heckled by the male-dominated society, the film shows how she learned to have thick skin, hit back politely at criticism, and finally raised her voice among men. The political drama shows the rise, rule, dictatorship, and downfall of the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi but not very flawlessly. Her meeting with Sam Manekshaw (played by Milind Soman) determines her struggle in the world of politics that is dominated by men.

The movie tries to incorporate the tensions in India during the 1960s and 1970s and how Indira Gandhi handled the crisis – while some decisions were to benefit the country and some created hatred towards her. In some parts of the film, you would feel that the members of the opposition party were shown as the Statesman of India including Atal Bihari Vajpayee (played by Shreyas Talpade) and Jayaprakash Narayan (played by Anupam Kher). In a scene, Atal Bihari Vajpayee asks Indira Gandhi to not “butter him” as he loves his country and she tells him that he deserves to be the Prime Minister of India. (A little too much?)

Now, let’s talk about the incidents in the film shown – first is the Bangladesh War, which, as I mentioned earlier, had no depth. However, it is also a key moment in the film but it fails to leave an impression. The other incident included when Indira Gandhi was removed from her parliamentary seat and banned from running for any office for six years, which brings us to Emergency in India. However, it was also not explored well. Other include Operation Blue Star, which was a military assault on the Golden Temple, and the Bangladesh War, among others. However, none of the incidents were explored but were shown in quick jumps, leaving no space for the audience to sink into the narrative.

The film also showed the mental impact on Indira Gandhi due to people’s hate and incidents occurring around her, giving a horror twist to the narrative. (We kid you not!) It also portrays Indira Gandhi’s family side where Sanjay Gandhi tries to take over his mother’s parliamentary duties and how he created a ruckus by forcing 11 million Indian men into sterilisation camps. But, what I missed was the mention of Rajiv Gandhi and his work for India in the Emergency movie.

Though, I would agree that you can’t show everything in just a couple of hours time, but the film rushed into many incidents that happened in India during the era of Indira Gandhi. In the age of OTT, the film would have had a better narrative as a web series, giving the longer time duration.

Emergency Review: Performances

Talking about the performances, actress Kangana Ranaut was able to capture the nuances of the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi. The performances in the film, honestly, dragged the narrative. The other cast members Mahima Chaudhry, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Satish Kaushik, Milind Soman, and Vishak Nair gave stellar performances. However, the direction falls weak along with the script-writing. The cinematography is average and the songs are unforgettable.

Emergency Review: Conclusion

In conclusion, Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency is a one-time watch. It ambitiously attempts to capture the journey of Indira Gandhi and the significant events of her era but falls short of delivering a cohesive and impactful narrative. Its rushed storytelling, lack of depth and disconnected exploration of key historical events dilute its overall impact. The movie leaves audiences with more questions than answers, leaving space to fill the gaps. Overall, it fails to leave a lasting impression. Again, a longer format, like a web series, would have done justice to the complexity of its subject matter.