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Emergency Review 2025: Kangana Ranaut’s Indira Gandhi Biopic Fails to Impress – Confused & Flawed!

Emergency Review

Director: Kangana Ranaut
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Satish Kaushik, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry, Arvind Sharma
Release Date: January 17, 2025
Filmyhigh Rating: 2.5/5

Kangana Ranaut, a force to be reckoned with both as an actress and director, has taken a daring step forward with “Emergency”, a film that attempts to shed light on one of the most controversial periods in Indian history: They refer to situation during the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975. While having the guts to experiment in her career, Kangana not only directs but also performs the role of, the India’s first female Prime Minister—Indira Gandhi in this political drama that tries to prise open the veneers of might, politics & sacrifice.

Plot & Direction:

Emergency is a work of fiction based on the emergency phase between June 1975 and March 1977 when the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi imposed emergency during which freedoms of Indians where curbed and leaders where arrested. Ranaut does the most to capture this tumultuous period in time which raises the intensity political and social ramifications of whats considered one of the duskiest periods of democracy in India.

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Kangana not only directs this movie but also, she scripts it, therefore, giving her a clear vision of what she wants in a film. This approach gives the reader a bird’s eye view of the events as they chronicle the intimate and public trials that define the country of Serbia. Kangana through Emergency has depicted the multi faceted person of Indira Gandhi as a strong determined women who went through lots of political upheavals but did not fail to do what she felt was the best for the country.

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Speaking of cinematography, the viewer should mention the film’s quite somber mood, exposing political machinations, power battles, and a protagonist’s strength during the storm. Yes, Kangana has depicted that phase and the sense of immediacy of that era coherently, however, the movie slows down a bit every time it tries to explain something specific about politics and policies of the time. Nonetheless, for those fans of history and political dramas, the storyline still doesn’t lose its power to interest the viewers..

Acting:

Indira Gandhi by Kangana Ranaut is the rescue film. Kangana has always been known for her strong on screen presence and we are taken through the journey of power, fear and resolve. In her acting, she somehow is subtle yet powerful, to represent Gandhi’s calibrative command and rigid fortitude in an that the nation was in upheaval. The sheer performance of Kangana which she is has transformed into this role is also really good. From the body language to the accent, it’s one of her most memorable performances till now.

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At the same time, superstars Junga and Kangana are terrific while the supporting performances—Anupam Kher playing Jayaprakash Narayan, particularly—have a little something missing. While Kher gives a very good performance, his work as a character doesn’t fill in the emotional depth to add depth to the character. If there is a lighter (read: less intense one) there, it is Shreyas Talpade, playing a journalist, who brings a lighter touch to the film, but his role, it feels, pales by comparison to the intensity of the central plot.

The rest of ensemble cast with Satish Kaushik and Milind Soman do their bit, but being the focus of the film Kangana and her character, the rest of ensemble cast doesn’t get enough room to shine.

Themes & Message:

Emergency’s theme of power is one of its most striking elements, personal and political. Not only does the film not stick to the storey of Indira Gandhi’s role during the emergency, but rather details the toll it put on her personal life, relationship with India’s people and the people who were close to her. This tells us about how power can turn and bend, and yet how power can be used in the service of survival, of change.

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Her film also explores the price of leadership under such circumstances at the emotional and psychological level. By her characterization, she provides us a notion of the sheering loneliness and isolation that are a part of these colossal decisions. During the emergency period, all of these were important — media, censorship, and political opposition — and these are also covered in the film.

Another thing, the movie isn’t just about the retelling of history or about the consequences of unbridled power. In it, however, it asks some pertinent questions about the ethics of governance and stuff about the fine line between national (or public lol) security and personal freedom.

Cinematography & Technical Aspects:

The film presents itself visually well, nicely shot by Tetsuo Nagata who uses cinemetography to bring 70s India to life. The film is muted in colour, making it seem like a vintage far, and the direction lives up to that with close up shots to convey the intensity of the political and emotional struggles. The costume and set design of the film accomplish well bringing in the era, and Kangana’s Indira Gandhi looked amazingly like her, with spot on, impeccable, makeup and styling.

But Emergency has technical shortfalls — particularly with its soundtrack. Often the music that is meant to elevate the mood and build the tension fails. For all its bravura sound design in just the right dramatic moments, however, the film feels too lacking in a meaningful score as a whole to allow the audience to connect with some of its most important moments.

Final Thoughts:

Ambitious and bold, Emergency is an ambitious and bold project for Kangana Ranaut as an actress and director. Sure, it’s a political drama but it’s a study of one of the most complex figures in Indian history. Using Kangana’s performance as its mainstay, the film’s strengths come from how it portrays Indira Gandhi, and becomes compelling.

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Unfortunately it’s paced a bit too quickly, its underdeveloped characters and lack of a great musical score keep the film from being the all encompassing masterpiece it could have been. Of course there are flaws in Emergency, but it’s worth watching because it offers insight into history, politics, and the life of a woman who made a great contribution to the course of India’s future.

In her failure to open out the emotional and political complexities of Emergency’s characters, Emergency is a successful film in depicting a turbulent time in Indian history, but could have gone further.  

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