Kangana Ranaut On Projecting Indira Gandhi`s Image: "Emergency Will Be A Slap.."

By -

AUGUST 30,2024

Kangana Ranaut, one of the most spoken about and successful actors in Bollywood, will soon be donning the director's hat with her upcoming film Emergency. The movie revolves around the life of late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her political contribution to the country.

For the uninitiated, Emergency marks the actress's first project as a director. Earlier in 2019, she co-directed Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, which went on to become one of her most memorable roles.

However, as soon as the trailer for Emergency was released, it received backlash for projecting Indira Gandhi in a negative light. The question now arises: what made Kangana Ranaut tell the story of Indira Gandhi? Was it to showcase one of the most formidable political figures of the country or the desire to decode the darkest chapter in Gandhi's political career?

Kangana Ranaut's take on making Emergency

In a recent interview, the actor-turned-director opened up on how she didn't intend to make a movie about the former Prime Minister. However, she credits the decision to her inclination in politics, given she is a vital part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

'I didn't begin with the intention of making a movie on it. Since I am a socially and politically aware person, I started reading about the Emergency. Apart from Coomi Kapoor's book [The Emergency: A Personal History], I read Mrs Gandhi's autobiography," the Tanu Weds Manu actress said.

Also Read: Kangana Ranaut Drops Emergency Trailer, Her Intense Political Drama Looks Promising



She further added, "Her guru Jiddu Krishnamurti had told her to stop the Emergency and she told him, 'I feel I'm riding a beast, which I loved riding initially, but now I can't get off it.' This gave me an insight into somebody who had a conscience. Mrs. Gandhi's life was such a beautiful Shakespearean tragedy. There is a throne, a person destined to be the queen, her opponents, and her internal battle with her conscience.'

Kangana Ranaut's clash of politics: BJP vs. Congress

Ranaut's political position as a Bharatiya Janata Party member has also colored a perception among fans and political enthusiasts that she might be trying to project late Indira Gandhi in a negative light.

Opening up on this subject, Kangana said, 'What is it like to love your country and be loved back? That thought took over my existence. It reached a point where I was sure that I'd make the film, even if I have to sell my house to do it."

'What is it like to love your country and be loved back? That thought took over my existence. It reached a point where I was sure that I'd make the film, even if I have to sell my house to do it," Kangana Ranaut further added.

Also Read: Meet Kulwinder Kaur, The CISF Woman Constable Who Slapped Kangana Ranaut


With the upcoming biopic Emergency, the Queen actress believes she has managed to show different facts of Gandhi's life: as a woman, a mother, and a politician who once led India.

Kangana continued and said, 'Mrs Gandhi loved her son [Sanjay Gandhi] so deeply and then lost him! As the character, it was one of the most difficult things for me to come to terms with. Her life had so much pain, trauma, and drama. I was keen to make this film because people don't know those aspects of her."

Kangana Ranaut on directing Emergency

Directing the film, she admits, was an intense job. 'My revenue took a hit. As an actor, I can do three films in a year, but as a writer-director, I can only do one film in three years. Then you're selling your own things to pay for the film," she shared.

"So, I will take some time before I direct again. Selling the movie was a challenge. The protagonist is in her 60s, and everybody in the movie is wearing khadi kurta pajamas, but luckily Zee Studios stepped in,' Kangana concluded.

Emergency will see a theatrical release on September 6. Apart from Kangana Ranaut, who plays Indira Gandhi, the film also features late Satish Kaushik, Miling Soman, Mahima Chaudhary, and Shreyas Talpade in key roles.

ALSO READ