Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 17: Actress and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has condemned the ongoing protests against the release of her film Emergency, calling it “complete harassment of art and the artist.”
The protests, led by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), an apex body responsible for managing historic gurudwaras across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, have targeted the film’s screening. Kangana, who represents Mandi in Himachal Pradesh as a Member of Parliament, accused the protestors of spreading propaganda aimed at tarnishing her image and sabotaging her film’s success.
In a response to a tweet by MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who demanded an immediate ban on the film, Kangana wrote, “This is complete harassment of art and the artist. From many cities in Punjab, we are hearing that these people are not allowing Emergency to be screened. I have the utmost respect for all religions, and having studied and grown up in Chandigarh, I have closely observed and followed Sikh religion. This is a complete lie and propaganda to harm my image and my film #Emergency.”
The protest has garnered support from MLA Kapurthala, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who also backed the SGPC’s call for a ban on the film. Khaira, citing Kangana’s controversial views, tweeted, “I support the demand of @SGPCAmritsar to ban the film Emergency directed by @KanganaTeam, a known critic of farmers & Sikhs. SGPC is our elected representative body, and @BhagwantMann should take immediate steps to ban the film that depicts Sikhs in bad light and brings defamation to our state of Punjab and its people.”
Amid the growing protests, Station House Officer (SHO) Baljinder Singh Aulakh from Amritsar informed that security measures have been increased at local cinemas. “We received a call from SGPC that Emergency shouldn’t be screened at the cinema hall. We have increased security. We also connected with the cinema hall manager, who confirmed that no shows are scheduled for the film,” Aulakh said.
The film Emergency explores the 21-month period during which Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed the Emergency in India from 1975 to 1977. Kangana stars as Indira Gandhi, alongside Anupam Kher and Shreyas Talpade in pivotal roles.