 "Emergency Movie Review: Kangana Ranaut nailed the role of Indira Gandhi with her nasal twang & facial expressions")
Language: Hindi
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Cast of Emergency: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhury, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair and more
“India is Indira and Indira is India.” It was a pleasure getting to know the true Indira Gandhi through the lens of Kangana Ranaut. She effortlessly fitted into the role with her facial expressions and nasal twang. Emergency highlights the good, bad and ugly side of our first Indian Prime Minister with proper balance. The best thing about this film is that it shows the human side of Indira, often giving a peek to her personal life by showing her relation with her friends and family members.
The well-researched film needs to be watched because it shows the different stages that lead to emergency, one of the darkest phases of Indian politics. Starting from Indira Gandhi’s childhood to her becoming a Prime Minister wasn’t an easy journey. But did Indira fail in the process and in the eyes of the people? Yes, a lot of times she did, but a lot of times she shined in giving justice to the people of India. Indira Gandhi made the Green Revolution a key government priority.
The film shows how she rises above personal disruptions in the family and with other politicians from her cabinet to become the Prime Minister of India. Many in the beginning felt that she was a ‘dumb doll’ and undeserving to be the PM of India. But like a typical Kangana Ranaut directed film, Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi, she hogs the limelight and a hugely talented cast like Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhury and Shreyas Talpade remains underused. Though whatever little screen presence they have been given, they make the best use of it.
The film is indeed a bold cinematic retelling of one of the most controversial periods in Indian politics. _Emergency_ shows Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s conflict of thoughts and how Nehru felt insecure in the presence of his daughter hogging all the popularity. The film throws light on her formative years and how Indira transforms from a simple woman who thought about the wellbeing of the people of India to a dictator.
We cannot ignore the role of her younger son, Sanjay Gandhi in her personal and political life. Emergency sheds light on her favourite son, Sanjay Gandhi played by Vishak Nair and how he was the main cause of the several wrong decisions that Indira Gandhi had taken in her political career. He was a terror, no wonder the film shows that after his death people were celebrating the death of a monster who treated the common man like insects. He introduced the forced sterilization campaign and slum demolition. Sanjay Gandhi was indeed a power hungry man and a threat to the nation.
Kangana Ranaut was able to ace Indira Gandhi’s mannerisms, her expressions when she was confused, vulnerable and emotional in a brilliant way. Emergency made us believe that we didn’t live in a democracy then. It was the death of democracy in our country when Indira Gandhi called for emergency.
Soft yet powerful and firm, that was Indira and Kangana literally went into the skin of the character. This film in fact is Kangana’s career best performance after Queen. Emergency is no doubt engaging, immersive, impactful, but it may appear to be overstretched in certain places.
Here is what didn’t work for the film. There were few moments of over dramatisation too especially when the then Bharatiya Janata Party leader Atal Bihari Vajyapee (Shreyas Talpade) and JP Narayan (Anupam Kher) sings _“Singhasan khaali karo ke janata aati hai (_empty the throne, the masses are coming). Another question that comes to my mind is, was Indira Gandhi ’this underconfident’, unable to walk through the rocky roads of politics in the beginning of her career as it has been shown in the film?
Her ‘dumb doll’ image has been given more emphasis rather than her image of ‘Iron Lady’ which she was better known as. And did she really have a strained relationship with her father, Jawaharlal Nehru? If so what was the research that went behind it, rather in journalistic term what was the source?
Rating: 3 out of 5
WATCH the trailer of Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency here:
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