Zee Entertainment Approaches Bombay HC Seeking Release Of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’

New Delhi: Zee Entertainment Enterprises, co-producer of Kangana Ranaut’s upcoming film ‘Emergency’ on Wednesday filed a petition in the Bombay High Court to seek a direction to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue the film’s certificate.

The petition claimed that the Censor Board had arbitrarily and illegally withheld the censor certificate of the film.

As per a lawyer, the petition claimed that the Censor Board was ready with the certificate, but not issuing it. The plea was mentioned before a division bench of Justices B P Colabaawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla for urgent hearing, Times of India reported.

The Bench agreed to hear it on Wednesday. Ranaut, who has directed and co-produced the film besides playing the lead role of former prime minister late Indira Gandhi, on Monday accused the CBFC of stalling certification to delay the release.

Scheduled for release on September 6, the biographical drama was caught up in controversy after Sikh organisations including the Shiromani Akali Dal objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong.

Kangana took to Twitter to express her frustration. She stated that despite rumours claiming the film had received its censor certificate, the certification process had been halted due to threats received by CBFC members. She alleged that there was pressure not to depict certain historical events and figures, such as the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the Punjab riots.

The controversy began after the trailer of Emergency was released. It featured Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a controversial figure in the Khalistan movement. This portrayal led to legal action from the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal and strong reactions from Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).