Since the trailer for Emergency became public on August 14, many people have been calling for a ban on its release. The Kangana Ranaut-starring biopic has now rescheduled its September 6 release date. As per reports in Mid Day, Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) approval is still pending, so the release is yet to get a green signal. 

CBFC approval still pending for Emergency

This political drama follows the life of Indira Gandhi, the late prime minister of India. It focusses on her assassination by her bodyguards and her 1975 declaration of the Emergency. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) reportedly changed its stance on the movie's release after receiving a legal notice on August 30, despite the CBFC's previous clearance on August 29. The organisation voiced concerns that the film could incite communal tension and made false claims about the Sikh community in the trailer, which they said promoted hatred and social unrest. Many Sikh organisations have voiced their disapproval of the motion picture.

Ranaut, who has been involved in the film in multiple capacities as actor, director, and co-producer, will feel the effects of the delay. A trade source claims that this sudden turn of events has deeply hurt her. The CBFC cleared Emergency on August 29. The CBFC went to great lengths to publicise their list of proposed changes, which included removing the word "saala" from a line, changing "Mr. President" to "Rashtrapati-ji," and providing factual information for certain scenes, all while boasting that the film had received a U/A certificate. However, they did not provide a duplicate of the certification to the producers.

Further adjustments requested by CBFC

Over the last two or three days, the CBFC has begun to propose further adjustments. The most important thing they said was that it shouldn't reveal Indira Gandhi's assassination by her own security detail. The trade source expressed surprise at Ranaut's reaction, questioning the validity of anyone's authority to omit verifiable fact-based portions of Indian history. 

Ranaut shared her thoughts on the postponement of Emergency in a podcast that went live on Monday. The actor-filmmaker declared that her film is now facing an emergency. The way things are going here is disappointing. The film's production crew reportedly wants to figure out a way to get this sorted out and set a new release date.

Pahlaj Nihalani's insights on CBFC's delays

During Prasoon Joshi's tenure, Pahlaj Nihalani, a former chief of the CBFC, noted a frequent occurrence where the CBFC initially cleared a film but subsequently stalled the certificate after receiving a show-cause notice. The administration may be debating whether to release Emergency at this time, as it has the potential to hurt the feelings of some groups. Therefore, they have decided to put it on hold.

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