Chandigarh court notice to Kangana Ranaut over allegations of tarnishing Sikh image in ‘Emergency’ movie

A district court in Chandigarh has issued a notice to actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut regarding her controversial film “Emergency.”

Advocate Ravinder Singh Bassi, former president of the District Bar Association, filed an application alleging that the actor attempted to tarnish the image of Sikhs in her film.

The advocate stated that, in addition to portraying a negative image of Sikhs, the film contains several false allegations against the community, prompting a request to register a case against Ranaut.

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The court will revisit the matter on December 5.

“The actions of the defendant have hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. In such a situation, a demand has been made that UT’s SSP and SHO of Sector-36 police station should be ordered to register an FIR against the defendant (Kangana and others) under sections of spreading enmity between two communities in the name of religion, caste etc., inciting religious sentiments etc,” the petition stated.

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) stated that the film has not yet been issued a certificate. In response, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the censor board to consider objections raised by Sikh groups before certifying the movie.

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The CBFC was instructed to carry out this review promptly. During a hearing of a petition filed by Zee Entertainment, the Bombay High Court expressed support for the petitioner but stated it could not grant relief due to the Madhya Pradesh High Court's order.

The film has sparked controversy, with Sikh organizations, including the Shiromani Akali Dal, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and presenting incorrect facts.

"Emergency", a political drama also written and co-produced by Ranaut, was supposed to release on September 6 but the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) didn't give a go ahead.

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On Monday, Ranaut said that OTT platforms need censorship more than films due to the nature of the content that people are watching there.

"Today, we're at a stage with technology where the Censor board has become a redundant body. I raised this during the previous parliament session also. We need to rethink... I believe OTT platforms need to be censored the most," the actor said.

As reported by PTI, when asked about the possibility of the film being banned in Punjab, the actor said, “Some people are doing disgusting protests against me there, they are burning my effigies and instigating people against me.”

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"Emergency" is produced by Zee Entertainment Enterprises and also features Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, Mahima Chaudhry and Milind Soman in pivotal roles.

(With PTI inputs)