Star Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Emergency Movie Review Synopsis:
EMERGENCY is the story of a woman that shaped India’s history. Indira Gandhi (Kangana Ranaut) becomes the third Prime Minister of India two years after the death of her father and the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Sanjay M Gurbaxani). She is considered a weak leader who would be dominated by the Cabinet. But soon, she shows her worth. She successfully gets cooperation from the Russian and French governments during the 1971 crisis with Pakistan. She also outsmarts US President Nixon (Alexander Scott Young). After India’s victory in the war, her popularity rises considerably. Soon, however, the country is plagued by strikes and hartals, denting her popularity. In 1975, she loses a decisive case in Allahabad High Court. The Court makes it clear that her victory in the election is null and void and hence, she’ll have to step down from the post of the Prime Minister. But motivated by her reckless son Sanjay Gandhi (Vishak Nair), she does the unthinkable – she imposes an Emergency in the country. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Emergency Movie Story Review:
EMERGENCY is adapted from the books ‘Priyadarshini’ by Jaiyanth Vasanth Sinha and ‘The Emergency: A Personal History’ by Coomi Kapoor. Kangana Ranaut’s story draws from real-life happenings. Ritesh Shah’s screenplay is gripping, with a constant stream of events keeping the film engaging. However, some scenes fall short, and the narrative occasionally adopts a documentary-like tone. Ritesh Shah’s dialogues (additional dialogues by Tanvi Kesari Pasumarthy) are realistic and yet sharp.
Kangana Ranaut’s direction is decent. The film is made on a certain scale and she handles it well. At the same time, she ensures that the grandeur doesn’t overpower the film. The highlight of her execution is the portrayal of Indira Gandhi. She’s not depicted as an antagonist but rather as a complex, human figure, presented with finesse, which greatly enhances the film. There are moments where you’ll admire her, moments where you’ll dislike her, and moments where you’ll feel sympathy for her. The film spans multiple decades, showcasing several key episodes from her life. But the track that truly stands out is Indira’s bond with Sanjay Gandhi. It’s the best part of the film, without any doubt. The other scenes that work are Indira’s meeting with Nixon, Sam Manekshaw’s (Milind Soman) entry, the Turkman Gate and sterilization controversies by Sanjay Gandhi, Sanjay’s death being celebrated on the road, Indira heading to sleepy Bihar village Belchi on an elephant etc.
On the flipside, as mentioned before, the film is more like a documentary or rather a docu-drama. Hence, it doesn’t have much for the mainstream audience that expects wholesome entertainment. A few aspects of her life are rushed. Also, Sanjay enters the narrative all of a sudden. Even the Allahabad court case springs up suddenly in the film, catching viewers unawares. Lastly, the scenes where characters break into songs in the Parliament and even during torture in jail come across as unintentionally comical. These moments undermine the realism and leave one questioning how they were approved in the first place.
Emergency | Official Trailer | Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade
Emergency Movie Review Performances:
Kangana Ranaut excels not only as a director but also as an actor. Her ability to fully immerse herself in the character is remarkable, making her performance so compelling that viewers completely forget it’s Kangana on screen or recall her previous films. Vishak Nair leaves a tremendous mark. He, too, puts his best foot forward and is sure to get noticed. Shreyas Talpade (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) is impressive and gets the mannerisms right. Anupam Kher (Jayaprakash Narayan) keeps his act restrained and it works. Milind Soman is superb and the only actor to have a clap-worthy entry in the movie. The late Satish Kaushik (Jagjivan Ram), as always, is dependable. Mahima Chaudhry (Pupul Jayakar) is memorable. Sanjay M Gurbaxani is okay and his track shouldn’t have been so one-sided. Alexander Scott Young is a bit over-the-top but it works. Darshan Pandya (R K Dhawan; Indira’s PA), Avijit Dutt (J Krishnamurti), Deepak Anand (Bhindranwale) and Akash Sinha (George Fernandes) are fair. Deepansha Dhingra (Maneka Gandhi), Kateryna Grabovska (Sonia Gandhi) and Adhir Bhat (Feroze Gandhi) are hardly there. Anoop Puri (Yahya Khan) hams while Rajesh Khatri (Motilal Nehru) is okay in a cameo.
Emergency movie music and other technical aspects:
‘Singhasan Khali Karo’ is catchy but this track, along with ‘Shankhnaad Kar’, are badly utilized in the film. ‘Ae Meri Jaan’ and ‘Beqarariyaan’ fail to impress. Sanchit Balhara and Ankit Balhara’s background score is much better.
Tetsuo Nagata’s cinematography is neat and in sync with the genre and period feel. Sheetal Sharma’s costumes and Wasiq Khan and Rakesh Yadav’s production design are detailed and realistic. David Malinowski’s prosthetics are quite good. Sunil Burman Rodrigues and Nick Powell’s action is disturbing, as per the requirement. White Apple Studio, Redefine and Futureworks Media Ltd’s VFX is satisfactory while Rameshwar S Bhagat’s editing is overall appropriate. But it’s too quick in some scenes.
Emergency Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, EMERGENCY portrays the life and times of Indira Gandhi in an unbiased manner, elevated by stellar performances from Kangana Ranaut and Vishak Nair. At the box office, while the controversy surrounding the film and the Cinema Lovers Day offer may provide some support, it remains to be seen whether audiences will be drawn to a story set in a historical period nearly five decades old.