Emergency review: Kangana Ranaut film about controversial chapter in India’s history is a passable effort

Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s much-anticipated film Emergency, a biographical drama based on the life of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, finally hit the screens on Friday after numerous controversies and delays.

While Ranaut delivers a compelling portrayal of the late leader and makes narrative attempts to remain balanced, the film ultimately falls short of expectations.

From the very first shot, Ranaut, 38, demonstrates that she has done her homework on deftly playing one of the best characters of her career. From Gandhi’s iconic half-black, half-white hairstyle to her nasal twang, subtle lip pursing, commanding demeanour and signature handloom sarees, Ranaut brings the late leader to life with meticulous attention to detail.

However, she falters as director, delivering a biopic that feels more like a superficial lesson in political science – a passable effort at best. Ranaut, who is also a parliamentarian from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in real life, and holds an ideology starkly opposed to that of Gandhi, leaves the audience confused with her film.

Emergency boasts an ensemble cast including veteran actor Anupam Kher; Shreyas Talpade; model-turned-actor Milind Soman; the late actor Satish Kaushik; and Mahima Chaudhary.

Gandhi, India’s first female Prime Minister, who was once one of the world’s most powerful leaders, was a trailblazer and a staunch secularist. The film portrays her as a leader who came to equate herself with the nation, embracing the belief that “India is Indira, and Indira is India” and her evolution into an autocratic leader who suppressed dissent, imprisoned opponents and censored the press.

The 148-minute film chronicles the 21-month period of Emergency in India, from June 25, 1975 to March 21, 1977, one of the most controversial chapters in the country’s history when all fundamental rights were crushed.

It oscillates between portraying Gandhi as a formidable leader who stood up to the likes of US President Richard Nixon and orchestrated the breaking up of rival Pakistan in 1971 to an insecure politician, whose insatiable hunger for power nearly led to her political downfall.

The daughter of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Gandhi served as Prime Minister for three consecutive terms, from 1966 to 1977, and a fourth term from 1980 until her assassination in 1984.

Following a landslide victory in 1971, thanks to her pro-poor policies and military intervention to create Bangladesh, she began consolidating autocratic control over her cabinet. But as her power grew, so did her intolerance for criticism.

Though her foreign policies earned praises from opposition parties, Gandhi began facing mounting criticism over domestic issues of a struggling economy, droughts, rising unemployment, food shortages and allegations of interference in the judiciary.

Matters took a turn for the worse when her 1971 victory was challenged by an opposition leader in the court, nullifying her election over malpractices. As calls for her ouster grew, Gandhi imposed a state of emergency overnight.

The film portrays Gandhi as the mastermind behind the excesses during this time. More than 100,000 political opponents, trade union members, activists, dissenters and journalists were imprisoned. Her son and political heir, Sanjay Gandhi, was accused of spearheading a controversial nationwide vasectomy campaign, forcibly sterilising more than six million men to curb India’s burgeoning population. The film also delves into Sanjay's personal life, including his marriage to Maneka Gandhi, and his untimely death in a plane crash.

While depicting Gandhi's growing paranoia as she struggled to maintain her identity during the Emergency, the film also reflects Ranaut’s slanted political views, particularly in the portrayal of Nehru, who is shown as a sick, insecure man with unresolved issues over his daughter’s rising strength and authority.

Laden with tacky computer graphics, the film takes a surreal turn at one point, where Ranaut as Gandhi breaks into a song alongside the head of the Indian Army and politicians, adding an unconventional and somewhat jarring element to the narrative.

Emergency attempts to capture a tumultuous period in India's history but falls short in both execution and engagement. While her performance of Gandhi is commendable, Ranaut's film lacks depth and consistency, and her obvious political bias ultimately prevents the film from making a lasting impression.