I asked Priyanka Gandhi to watch 'Emergency', she said 'OK, maybe': Kangana Ranaut

Mumbai: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra complimented Kangana Ranaut on her work and her hair when they crossed paths in Parliament and responded with an “okay, maybe” when the actor and BJP MP asked the Congress leader to watch her new film Emergency.

The much in the news film sees Ranaut playing the late Indira Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi’s grandmother. Directed and produced by Ranaut, it documents the 21 months of Emergency imposed in 1975 by then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

“I met Mrs Priyanka Gandhi in Parliament and she complimented me on my work and my hair. So I was like, ‘You know, I made this film Emergency and maybe you should see it’. And she was like, ‘Okay, maybe’. And I think if they have a little bit of acceptance for what has been, they will appreciate the film,” Ranaut told PTI in a video interview about her brief interaction with the Wayanad MP.

The film will release on January 17 after months of controversy over its censor certificate and allegations that it misrepresents the Sikh community.

Ranaut, the BJP’s MP from Mandi, said she took “no liberties at all” in the portrayal of Indira Gandhi and the Emergency months.

The actor, often in the news for her comments, added that she thought Indira Gandhi was a "very powerful person" before she started working on Emergency.

"But when I did my research, I understood it was quite the contrary. It also strengthened my belief that the weaker you are, the more control you would want. She was a very weak person and she was also very unsure of herself and really vulnerable."

"She had many crutches around and she was constantly seeking a kind of validation. She was also hugely dependent on many people, one of them was Sanjay Gandhi... I didn't have that kind of empathy for her before Emergency." Ranaut is no stranger to playing real-life characters on screen: she portrayed freedom fighter Rani of Jhansi in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and the late Tamil Nadu chief minister-film star J Jayalalithaa in Thalaivii.

According to the first-time MP, “people” tried hard to stop Emergency from releasing.

"I was completely devastated. I thought maybe it will never see the light of the day. Because there was earlier a film on Mrs Gandhi called Kissa Kursi Ka.

"I thought maybe it's jinxed or something that you can't make a film on her... And I had also put some investments into it. There were a lot of issues, obviously I was disheartened," Ranaut said.

Emergency missed out on its September 6, 2024 release date as it was unable to obtain the clearance certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Ranaut had then accused the CBFC of stalling the certification. The matter went to the Bombay High Court where production banner Zee Studios eventually agreed to comply with the changes suggested by CBFC's revising committee.

She did not reveal the number of cuts the CBFC directed but said she would have liked the film to release the way she had made it.

The film, Ranaut said, has not been made with the intention of hurting people or their sentiments. "As the film is not made with that intention, even if that was removed, it doesn't impact my story." Describing Emergency as an "unusual and controversial" film, Ranaut said audiences are used to watching traditional song-and-dance movies from Bollywood.

"But when you have something so unusual, people are a bit unsettled about it. 'How come she made a film like this?' This is controversial and talks about a very important chapter in history." The 38-year-old, known for films such as Gangster, the Tanu Weds Manu franchise, Fashion, Queen and Panga, said she believes in the "power of authenticity".

"Since my film was deeply scrutinised, I had to present proof of the documentation, the source, everything. I had to face a lot of setbacks, challenges, scrutiny and all kinds of pressures."

"They say truth eventually trumps over everything. We presented all the proof. Different communities, (political) parties, historians, common man, anyone who has seen the film has said there is nothing objectionable in it," she said.

Has acting taken a back seat after becoming an MP last June? "Not really a back seat but yes being a parliamentarian is also a very demanding job. I have been going to Parliament almost every month. There has been a little bit of a setback in terms of my shootings. I'm not able to, but I will resume," she said.

Emergency also stars Anupam Kher as Jayaprakash Narayan, Shreyas Talpade in the role of a young Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Milind Soman as Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Mahima Choudhary as Pupul Jayakar and the late Satish Kaushik in the role of Jagjivan Ram. It is produced by Manikarnika Films.