The screening of Kangana Ranaut’s directorial debut Emergency was stopped in London by pro-Khalistan activists as they stormed the movie theatre on Sunday, January 19.
The movie screening was disturbed by Khalistani sloganeering as a group of activists covered their faces and force-entered the Harrow cinema hall near Wembley and tried to obstruct the movie projection.
In the videos that emerged from the incidents, the miscreants were seen arguing and engaging in a verbal spat with the moviegoers.
Earlier this week, The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) held protests outside cinemas in many places in Punjab against the release of Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency resulting in the film not being released in most places.
The film, which sees Ranaut playing the role of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, focuses on 21 months of Emergency from 1975 to 1977.
Kangana’s Emergency shelved in Bangladesh
Kangana’s Emergency release has been shelved in Bangladesh as the political relationship between the neighbouring countries continues to strain.
The film, which delves into the turbulent period of the Emergency declared in India in 1975 by Indira Gandhi, has found itself at the center of a geopolitical impasse.
A source close to the matter revealed, “The decision to halt the screening of Emergency in Bangladesh is tied to the current strained relations between India and Bangladesh. The ban is less about the content of the film and more about the ongoing political dynamics between the two nations.”
Indira Gandhi played a vital role in the Liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan even though the USA demanded her not to meddle in the affairs of both nations. Nevertheless, Indira went ahead as she felt that instead of taking in millions of refugees, India would be economically better off going to war against Pakistan leading to the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.
SGPC holds protests against release of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency
With the USA threatening India with a naval offensive by deploying their aircraft destroyers in the Bay of Bengal, India found support in the USSR, as they deployed nuclear-armed submarines and warships. The relationship between India and the USSR continues to grow even long after the collapse of the USSR leading to Russia becoming a major power in the Eastern bloc.
Emergency highlights the Indian Army and Indira Gandhi’s government role in the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence and the support given to Shaikh Mujibur Rehman who is called the Father of Bangladesh and who called Indira Gandhi Goddess Durga.
The film also showcases the assassination of Shaikh Mujibur Rehman at the hands of Bangladeshi extremists, factors which are believed to have led to the ban of the film in Bangladesh.
