'Emergency' not screened in Punjab after SGPC protests, Kangana calls it 'harassment'

Kangana Ranaut's film Emergency was not screened at cinemas in Punjab on Friday following state-wide protests by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and Sikh organisations against the movie, with several politicians calling for a ban, which the actor termed as "harassment".

The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, and several Sikh organisations held demonstrations against the movie outside cinemas, multiplexes and malls across the state. Ranaut, who has directed, written and produced the political drama, decried the demand for a ban on Emergency and said the film's restricted screenings in parts of Punjab is a "complete harassment of art and the artist".

The film, which sees Ranaut playing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, focuses on 21 months of Emergency from 1975-77. Mired in controversy over its censor certificate and allegations that it misrepresents the Sikh community, the film was released across the country on Friday after several delays.

Most cinemas in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda did not screen it, with police deployed outside malls and cinemas in the state. In Amritsar, for instance, protesters including women were seen carrying black flags and placards saying 'Emergency should be banned' and 'Boycott Emergency movie'.

"We spoke with the Central government and the Punjab government to stop the release of the movie but no action was taken...," SGPC's Partap Singh told PTI, adding that they had gathered to stop the release because the film had been made to disturb the peace of Punjab. "Sikh characters are portrayed objectionably," he added.

He also referred to SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami's letter to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday, demanding a ban on the movie. The tragedy is that the AAP government of Punjab is deliberately "ignoring" Sikh issues, he said. "This is not in the interest of the state," he added.

"Ranaut is an MP from the BJP, and the responsibility of an MP is significant. He or she should work to bring everyone in society together, but instead, she is creating divisions...," said SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan, who said Sikh characters have been portrayed in a "wrong way" in the film.

He said it is unfortunate that the Punjab government has not taken any step to stop the film so far.

SGPC member Bhagwant Singh Sialka said no "anti-Sikh" act will be tolerated and said it is a responsibility of governments to respect the interests and sentiments of every religion.

The sentiment was similar in Mohali. "The film has been made to insult the entire Sikh community. We will not let the movie release in Mohali or anywhere in Punjab. The SGPC is united in this matter," SGPC member Rajinder Singh Tohra said.

Members of a Sikh organisation in Jalandhar said they will not allow Emergency to be screened anywhere in Punjab.

In Ludhiana, the movie was set to be screened in four theatres, said deputy commissioner of police Shivam Aggarwal. However, after receiving objections from some Sikh organisations, the cinema owners decided not to screen the film, he said.

In Hoshiarpur, workers of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) visited several cinemas in the district, urging their management not to screen the movie. Taking note of the protests against the movie, senior Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has also sought a ban on the movie.

"Given the already fragile law and order situation in the state, the @BhagwantMann government should consider imposing a complete ban on the film within Punjab. It is the government's primary responsibility to safeguard public sentiments and ensure communal harmony takes precedence over the screening of such films," Randhawa wrote in an X post.

Ranaut, a BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, reacted to the calls for ban on Emergency in an X post of her own. "This is complete harassment of art and the artist, from Punjab many cities are reporting that these people are not allowing Emergency to be screened. I have utmost respect for all religions and after studying and growing up in Chandigarh, I have closely observed and followed Sikh religion. This is a complete lie and propaganda to tarnish my image and harm my film #Emergency," she wrote.

The 38-year-old actor-director was reacting to a post by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who supported the call for a ban her film. Khaira said Ranaut is a known critic of "farmers & Sikhs without knowing their contribution towards our country".

"SGPC is our elected representative body and @BhagwantMann should take immediate steps to ban the film that depicts Sikhs in bad light and brings defamation to our state of Punjab and its people," he added.

The SGPC has also submitted memorandums to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.

In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the film's producers, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.