Actor-director of ‘Emergency’ film and first-time BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, facing flak from Sikh community leaders, has ruled out chopping of Indira Gandhi assassination from her upcoming movie. Replying to questions from Rajat Sharma in his iconic TV show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’, Kangana Ranaut said, “I approached SGPC people, showed them my movie. They want me not to show that Sikhs killed Indira Gandhi. Then what should I show? That she died by lightning?”
Several organisations including Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee, have demanded a ban on the movie ‘Emergency’ alleging that it was spreading an “anti-Sikh narrative” and misrepresenting Sikhs as “separatists”. The SGPC notice sent to CBFC on August 27 says, “Such depictions are not only misleading but also deeply offensive and damaging to the social fabric of Punjab and the entire nation. It is apparent that Ranaut has chosen the subject of the Emergency not to make a genuine political or historical statement against Congress, but rather to target the Sikh community.”
Kangana Ranaut described what she noticed when she watched Rahul Gandhi speaking in Lok Sabha for the first time. “You can’t believe, the atmosphere he was trying to build inside the House. He had brought photographs of all gods to show that all these gods were using the hand symbol of Congress as if they were his party’s brand ambassadors. Then he said, I belong to Shivji Ki Baraat. And then he sat, and watched blankly with his eyes transfixed. I felt like telling somebody to go and check, what happened to him. I never asked for a drugs test on him, but yes, I said, he must undergo a test.”
When it was pointed out that she had described Rahul as bitter, and poisonous, Kangana replied, “That’s what the entire nation is saying. He is going abroad and asking America to intervene in our affairs. He is always trying to divide our country, whether it is caste, economy, borders.”
Kangana Ranaut’s on upcoming movie ‘Emergency’
Kangana, who plays the role of Indira Gandhi in the movie, said, “Emergency is one of the best-kept secrets. Our present generation knows little about it. She (Indira) was equally bad, equally loved. Like Modi Ji is praised as an avataar of Shri Ram, Indira Ji was praised as Chandi Durga. The love and hate for a leader captured my imagination while doing this movie. She got 35 bullets in her body. I was trying to show how a leader who while fighting for the country, fought against the country (by imposing an Emergency)…While doing the role of Indira Gandhi, my entire outlook changed. There was an elderly lady, her love towards his son, she lost her son, she did so much for the country.
On her controversial remark about “bodies hanging and rapes taking place during the farmers’ protest”, the BJP MP clarified that she did not say it was the farmers who did these. “What I had said, was, at the protest site of farmers, bodies were found, and gangrape did take place. I never said, farmers did this, anti-social (‘upadravi’) elements did this. I have the video coverage with me.”
Kangana said, “I feel, as a person, the world watches the truth but negates it and lives in falsehood. My remark was against the ‘upadravis’, not the farmers…I myself belong to a farmer’s family, I used to carry food to the fields for farmers. My daadi wanted me to take up farming…What I wanted to say was, the farmers’ protest was completely hijacked.”
