Emergency: Kangana Ranaut Swift Take on Indira Gandhi’s Legacy

It’s clear that a film titled after the 1975 Emergency should primarily focus on that period. Kangana Ranaut briefly touches on what many consider one of the darkest times in modern Indian history, aiming to provide a quick overview of Indira Gandhi’s life.

4o minit The actress, who also directed the film Emergency Kangana Ranaut appears so eager to cover all aspects that she barely delves deeply into the life of India’s first and only female prime minister.

Also Read : Sally El Azab’s Awe-Inspiring Mahakumbh Journey to India

Indira Gandhi’s Early Struggles From Assam’s 1962 War to Tensions with Nehru

The film begins with a young Indira learning from her grandfather that “satta” means “taakat” (power), and after a brief montage of India gaining independence, it quickly transitions to how Indira Gandhi played a crucial role in saving Assam from China during the 1962 war. As people celebrated her with slogans like “Jai Indira Mata,” the film reveals that this success strained her relationship with her father, Jawaharlal Nehru. Her heartache deepens when he selects Lal Bahadur Shastri as the Congress heir.

Also Read : Chittoor: Bus-Lorry Collision Leaves Several Injured, Bus Overturns

Resilience and Key Historical Events Leading to the Emergency

Once she becomes the Prime Minister, the film shows how fellow ministers in Parliament ridicule Indira Gandhi for her voice and refer to her as a “goongi gudiya” (mute doll). She handled the mockery with dignity and, at times, retorted sharply. Even the US President faced a strong response from her when he made jokes about Indian women and their saree draping.

In the next two hours, the film covers key events such as the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the independence of Bangladesh, the Indo-Soviet Treaty, the Shimla Agreement, the Pokhran Nuclear Test, and finally, Indira Gandhi faces opposition backlash and the government bars her from contesting elections, which leads her to impose the Emergency. The film briefly mentions the arrests of opposition leaders, government protesters, media censorship, and forced vasectomy programs but never explores them in depth.

Also Read : Israel-Hamas Hostage Release Deal Reached: Netanyahu

Indira Gandhi’s Political Downfall, Family Tensions, and Tragic Assassination

The film quickly moves through Indira Gandhi’s election defeat, the rise of the Janata Party, her time in Tihar Jail, and her eventual political comeback. It also touches upon how Sanjay Gandhi’s impulsive decisions reportedly caused a rift between them. The climax highlights Operation Blue Star in Punjab and shows how it ultimately leads to members of Indira Gandhi’s own security detail assassinating her.

Women in politics is a subject hardly explored in cinema, and this was a golden chance to tell that story. However, what we get is a woman, constantly twitching, chewing her lips with darting eyes and reluctance written all over her face. We also never get to know how she developed this passionate love for politics, or even why ‘India is Indira, Indira is India’ became a loud slogan.

Also Read : Manipur’s first 2025 militant attack: Drones drop bombs in Imphal West, no casualties