Kangana Ranaut 'Emergency' Release: Bombay High Court Denies Urgent Certification

Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency', at the centre of a massive row after Sikh organisations opposed its release, got no relief from the Bombay High Court today. The court said it cannot ask the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue a certificate to the film's makers as it would contradict a Madhya Pradesh High Court order. Actor and BJP politician Kangana Ranaut ‘blasted’ the censor board for not issuing certificate to her upcoming movie ‘Emergency.’ The film was scheduled to release on September 6 but will now be pushed back for two weeks as the HC directed the censor board to consider the objections raised against the film and then certify it by September 18.

Kangana, who plays former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is also the director of the movie. The release of the movie trailer had caused a furore in Punjab. The movie is yet to get a green signal from the Certification Board.The film’s producer Zee Entertainment Enterprises had moved the Bombay HC seeking a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue certificate for the biographical drama ‘Emergency’, helmed by actor-MP Kangana Ranaut.

The plea claimed that the censor board was ready with the certificate but was not issuing it apprehending law and order unrest after the movie’s release. A division bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla on Wednesday accepted the producer’s contention that the certificate was kept ready but not issued. The bench said once the certificate was issued online to the makers of the film, the CBFC's contention that the certificate was not issued as it was not signed by the chairperson is incorrect.

The Madhya Pradesh HC on Tuesday heard petitions filed by Sikh groups claiming that the film contains scenes that may hurt their religious sentiments and may hence cause unrest. During the hearing of the petition filed by Zee Entertainment, the Bombay HC on Wednesday said that while it was with the petitioner on the issue it cannot grant any relief in the wake of the order passed by the Madhya Pradesh HC. Scheduled for release on September 6, the biographical drama is caught in a controversy after Sikh organisations including the Shiromani Akali Dal objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong.