BJP MP and actor Kangana Ranaut’s movie ‘Emergency’ has triggered a massive controversy in Punjab as the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday held protests outside cinemas at various places in Punjab against its release. Many cinemas in Ludhiana, Patiala, and Amritsar did not screen the film, which was released today (January 17). Amid the ongoing row over the movie, Himachal Pradesh Minister and Congress leader Vikramaditya Singh remarked that it is a “very controversial issue” and that it is everyone’s responsibility to maintain communal harmony. 

This comes after SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, demanding a ban on actor-director and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut’s movie ‘Emergency’, claiming that the movie misrepresented the character and history of Sikhs and had objectionable scenes depicting anti-Sikh sentiments.

In the film, Kangana Ranaut plays the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and it focuses on the 21-month Emergency period from 1975-77. It was finally released across the country after several delays.

Commenting on the controversy over the release of the film, Vikramaditya Singh said: “This is a very controversial issue. It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain communal harmony in the country. The reason behind this will be known in the coming times. Certainly, its content has been controversial in the past as well. There is a great need for sensitivity in this.”

#WATCH | Dharamshala: On the controversy over the release of the film ‘Emergency’, Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh says, “This is a very controversial issue. It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain communal harmony in the country. The reason behind this will be… pic.twitter.com/03zWXkCWh3

— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2025

Meanwhile, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge called Kangana Ranaut’s film “fictional” and a “propaganda movie”. “It is a propaganda movie like ‘The Kashmir Files’, it is all fictionalise…nothing is fact-based,” he said.

#WATCH | Bengaluru: On actress Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge says, “It is a propaganda movie like ‘The Kashmir Files’, it is all fictionalise…nothing is fact-based” pic.twitter.com/pjGjCrUtgy

— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2025

‘Punjab Govt Will Be Responsible For Disturbance In Law & Order’: SGPC

While protesting against the movie, a member of the SGPC told news agency ANI that the protest is being held against the film as the history of the Sikhs and the history of 1984 has been presented in a “distorted manner”. He said that the censor board did not stop the movie’s release despite previous protests by the SGPC. 

“Our protest today is over the release of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’. In this film history of the Sikh religion and the history of 1984 has been presented in a distorted manner. We had protested against this earlier also when its teaser came out, but the government did nothing against it. The censor board, instead of stopping it, gave it a green signal and the program of the release of the movie was complete,” he said.

He further warned of intensified protests if cinemas in Punjab decide to release the movie. The SGPC member also pointed out that the Punjab government did not respond to SGPC’s letter and asserted that the state government would be held responsible for disturbance in law and order.

“The SGPC taking suo moto has decided to protest against the screening of the film. The cinema owners did not put up the movie today. But we will have to see as the day goes by. If it goes on like this, it will be fine, else it will be intensified if the film is released. The Punjab government will be responsible for the disturbance of Law and Order…because we wrote to the CM also, but there was no reply from him,” he added.

#WATCH | Punjab | On the release of actress Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ in Punjab, one of the SGPC members says, “Our protest today is over the release of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’. In this film history of the Sikh religion and the history of 1984 has been presented in a… pic.twitter.com/FJmrfE6R1K

— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2025

In his letter, the SGPC chief had asked Bhagwant Mann to ban the screening of the movie in Punjab and that the Sikh community would be “enraged” if the movie is released in the state on January 17.

“It has come to our attention that the movie ‘Emergency’ produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked,” its letter to Mann read.

“If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world,” the letter read.

Dhami also stated that the SGPC will submit a letter to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state. “If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level,” Dhami added, as reported by PTI.