Bold, Brilliant, but Bruised !!

Bold, Brilliant, but Bruised : My quick take on Kangana’s ‘Emergency’ (theatrical release)

Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency is a bold cinematic take on one of India’s most contentious chapters, helmed by a director who spares no effort in making sure you see the blood, sweat, and maybe a few tears she’s poured into this magnum opus—right there on the screen. And what a spectacle it is! Ranaut dons the director’s hat and the iconic sarees of Indira Gandhi with equal flair, proving yet again that if multitasking were an Olympic sport, she’d be the one lighting the torch.

Her portrayal of Indira Gandhi is so compelling that for a moment, you might actually believe she held emergency powers in real life too. That steely gaze, the poised demeanor, the occasional outburst—Kangana isn’t playing Indira; she is Indira. If ever there’s an award for Best Actor-Director-Who-Also-Literally-Did-Everything, we know who’s taking it home.

What’s even more surprising is that Emergency doesn’t fall into the league of the current spate of propaganda films, which often devolve into caricaturish depictions of plots and personalities to glorify the current establishment. Instead, this film proves otherwise. It dares to present a nuanced narrative, walking the tightrope between history and drama, without reducing its characters to mere tropes or indulging in one-sided glorification. A rare feat in today’s cinematic landscape!

They say actors get into the skin of characters, but in this case, Kangana literally got into the skin of prosthetics to perfection. It’s hard not to marvel at how the art of prosthetics has evolved, especially when you compare her portrayal to Kamal Hassan’s extensive history with the craft. Kangana’s transformation is nothing short of superlative—her body language, facial expressions, and even those tiny twitches of the lips are executed flawlessly. Just for this effort, she deserves a standing ovation. No doubt the body of work of our former PM is vast and varied, but to encapsulate it in a two-and-a-half-hour film is an impossible task. Maybe a web series would’ve done justice to the subject. That’s why the title “Emergency” feels a bit misfit—this darkest hour of our democracy deserves more than just a quick, condensed chapter.

One more impressive aspect of the movie was the choice of cast. Satish Kaushik as Babu Jagjivan Ram, Anupam Kher as JP, and the best one—Milind Soman as Sam—were all excellent. Mahima Choudhary as Pupul Jaikar brought her own charm to the table. But the cherry on the cake was Vishak Nair as Sanjay Gandhi—he was a showstopper. His portrayal was so compelling that he left a lasting impression, truly making Sanjay’s character his own.

Now, about those songs. Why? And why lip-sync? Maja kir kira ho gaya. Had it been a background score, it would’ve blended in better, but those lip-synced moments felt out of place and jarred with the otherwise intense tone of the film.

The movie’s editing also felt a bit jarring. Either the makers were forced to make some cuts to temper it down politically (?) (like the fleeting references to the Khalistan movement), or it’s simply a flaw in the screenplay. These abrupt shifts in pacing left certain storylines feeling underdeveloped, preventing the film from truly diving deep into the complexity of its subjects.

On the flip side, there were some unexpected revelations in the movie, like the young Indira’s role in retaining Assam after the Indo-China war and her defiant stance against the mighty US President during the Bangladesh Liberation. These moments were truly awesome and added layers to her character that you wouldn’t expect from the typical portrayal of Indira Gandhi.

Overall, the film takes us through the saga of a young Priyadarshini, evolving into the iconic Gungi Gudia and Durga, and finally becoming India itself. This awesome journey from childhood to the darkest hours of the emergency is an arc that richly deserves a biopic, and Kangana delivered it beautifully. Should I say “Kangana is Indira”?