Kangana Ranaut and Shreyas Talpade's film Emergency has been granted a censor certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). In an exclusive interview with NDTV's Hardika Gupta, Shreyas Talpade, who portrays Atal Bihari Bajpayee in the film, spoke about receiving the censor certificate after numerous delays. He said, "As an actor, it is obviously upsetting when your film gets delayed after receiving approval from the censor board, announcing a release date, and starting promotions. The people were looking forward to the film, we were looking forward to the film releasing, and the audience watching it, but it got delayed due to certain reasons. Most of the time, those reasons are not in our control, and things are not in our control. Having said that, now that we got the final approval from CBFC, we are extremely happy. As an actor, I'm happy that we got the green signal to release our film."
When asked about the film's release plans, Shreyas said, "Now it's the producer's call as to when they would find the right date to release the film because, obviously, we have to start the promotions one more time and make sure that the people are aware of the release date and when and where it's releasing. It's an added task, but nevertheless, we will do it. As filmmakers, I don't think we intentionally want to hurt anyone or anybody's sentiments, but yes, there are certain factors that are beyond our control, and we have to face them. We have to make sure that we don't hurt anyone, everybody is happy with the outcome, and the people like the film. That is the ultimate objective. We want people to like our film and love our performances and we pray for the same.
On Thursday, Kangana Ranaut shared the news on X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, "We have received the certificate for our movie 'Emergency'. We will be announcing the release date soon. Thank you for your patience and support. @manikarnikafilms @zeestudiosofficial @nishantpitti."
ICYDK, the film has been embroiled in controversy as it chronicles the story of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the Emergency period in India and her assassination by her bodyguards. Last month, the Bombay High Court directed the Censor Board to consider any objections raised by Sikh bodies, groups, or individuals regarding the film's September 6 release. The CBFC's examining committee approved the film with a 'UA' certification, conditional upon the filmmakers making three cuts and providing factual sources for certain controversial historical statements. Among the suggested edits, the committee recommended that the filmmakers delete or replace specific visuals in a scene depicting Pakistani soldiers attacking Bangladeshi refugees.
Emergency is set against the backdrop of India's Emergency period from 1975 to 1977, a time when civil rights and freedom of the press were severely restricted. The film also stars Milind Soman, Mahim Chaudhary, Anupam Kher, late actor Satish Kaushik, Vishak Nair and others, with a screenplay by Ritesh Shah.