Emergency

Emergency (2025) sets out to dramatise one of the most controversial chapters in Indian political history-the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977. It was an ambitious subject, rich with political intrigue, constitutional breakdown, and human stories that deserved to be told with depth and nuance. Unfortunately, while Kangana Ranaut delivers a reasonably compelling performance as Indira Gandhi, her directorial choices fall flat, making the film feel more like a half-baked political cosplay than a powerful political drama.

Let me start with what worked. Kangana, as an actor, brings sincerity to her portrayal of Indira Gandhi. The prosthetics, makeup, and costume design help her resemble the late Prime Minister quite convincingly. She clearly studied Gandhi's mannerisms, voice modulation, and demeanour-and in isolated moments, you can see the intensity and command she tried to channel.

But even as an actor, she seems held back by her own direction. Rather than letting the performance breathe, the film often cuts away too quickly or drowns the scene in overbearing background scores. There are moments when she genuinely shines, but they're scattered in a sea of over-dramatisation.

Direction is where the film really struggles. As a director, Kangana tries to tackle too much and ends up achieving very little. The film is crammed with historical events, political figures, and ideological references, but there's no narrative flow or emotional core tying it all together. It's like flipping through a disorganised political scrapbook-event after event with no time to reflect, no depth, and often, no clarity.

The characters are reduced to caricatures. Their dialogues are too on-the-nose, sometimes bordering on laughable. And in her attempt to portray herself as a strong leader facing opposition from all sides, she forgets to develop the supporting characters, who are either demonised or glorified in extremes, leaving no room for gray shades or complexity.

Visually, the film tries hard to look polished. There are moments where the cinematography manages to create atmosphere, and the production design does its part in evoking the 70s. But the editing is choppy and lacks rhythm. Scene transitions are abrupt, and some sequences feel unintentionally comical. One particularly bizarre moment had a room full of political leaders breaking into a jarring musical sequence that completely destroyed the tone.

Also, the film leans heavily on expository dialogue and voiceovers instead of letting the visuals or subtext tell the story. It feels like the director didn't trust the audience to understand the context without spoon-feeding it.

The Emergency era is one of those rare moments in Indian history where personal ambition, political ideology, and institutional collapse intersect. It had the potential to be a deeply engaging political thriller. But instead of focusing on storytelling and character development, the film feels like a personal vanity project. It tries too hard to send a message and ends up delivering a sermon instead of a story.

Emergency (2025) could have been a sharp, reflective, and haunting look at power and its consequences. Instead, it turns into a self-indulgent, uneven mess that does injustice to both the subject matter and its cinematic potential. Kangana Ranaut proves once again that she's a capable actor-but as a director, she's not there yet.

This film deserved better.

Kangana Ranaut's Emergency promised to be a bold and gripping take on one of the darkest periods in Indian political history. However, the execution leaves much to be desired, as the film falters on multiple fronts, from its skewed historical narrative to lackluster direction and acting.

The film's premise, centered around the controversial Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975, had the potential to offer an insightful exploration of a politically charged and complex era. Unfortunately, Kangana's portrayal of historical events feels overly dramatized and riddled with inaccuracies. Instead of delivering a nuanced and balanced account, the film leans heavily on a one-sided perspective, sacrificing historical depth for sensationalism.

As a director, Kangana struggles to maintain a coherent narrative. The pacing is uneven, with certain key events either rushed or stretched unnecessarily. Scenes that should carry emotional weight often fall flat due to poor transitions and an overall lack of subtlety. The dialogue, peppered with melodrama, further detracts from the story's credibility.

Kangana's performance as Indira Gandhi also disappoints. While she undoubtedly puts in the effort to embody the former Prime Minister, her portrayal comes across as superficial and inconsistent. The lack of emotional depth in her acting makes it hard to connect with her character, leaving the audience unengaged.

The supporting cast, though competent, is underutilized, with their characters reduced to mere caricatures. This further highlights the film's failure to delve into the complexities of the Emergency period and its impact on diverse sections of society.

On a technical level, Emergency fares slightly better, with its cinematography and production design doing justice to the era it depicts. However, these elements cannot compensate for the film's fundamental shortcomings in storytelling and characterization.

Overall, Emergency is an ambitious project that misses the mark. While Kangana's intention to tackle a pivotal chapter in India's history is commendable, her flawed take on the subject, coupled with sloppy direction and an underwhelming performance, makes for a disappointing cinematic experience. A more balanced and well-researched approach might have elevated the film, but as it stands, Emergency feels like a missed opportunity.

I was so looking forward to this movie, but it was a big disappointment.

Except for Kangana's acting, makeup, and cast selection, nothing works. The movie touches so many events superficially, bouncing from one to another, without givong background or context on any event. Consequently, if you're not already aware of those events and their significance, the movie doesn't inform or educate you on most of them. It would have been much better to focus on fewer things and provide more context/background that help you understand Indira's character. A good story teller and director would have helped. Despite the title, the emergency isn't given adequate coverage.

The music is loud. Kangana's close-ups are on the screen a little much. And Vajpayee and Maneckshaw singing a song - seriously?

What a disappointment!

While I admire Kangana Ranaut for her sincere attempt at creating a biography centered on Ms. Indira Gandhi, a figure who stands as one of if not the most contentious in our nation's post independence history, the execution falls significantly short of its potential.

Indira Gandhi's character was multifaceted, encompassing her aspirations for absolute power, dedication to her country, and her complex relationship with her son, Sanjay.

All rhese elements warrant a more nuanced script and character development, which "Emergency" regrettably did not achieve, despite having right intentions.

Regarding the performances, Kangana bore a striking resemblance to Indira and attempted to emulate her mannerisms and speech too but all her efforts came off too overstated, lacking the authenticity that would render them natural.

There is always a fine line between imitating an individual against becoming a replica from inside; for reasons unknown, Kangana opted for the former, I wish, she chose the latter.

Very poor story. Only achievement is Indira's look.

There is hardly any attempt to put the events leading up to the Emergency in perspective. We miss the Machiavellian leftist side of Indira that she employed in style to crush the Syndicate within the party. The film keeps talking about Gudiya has found a voice but doesn't care to show how. The Green Revolution, nationalisation of banks, and abolition of privy purses don't make it to the script or, for that matter, the failed motto of garibi hatao.

It might not work for those who have learnt their lessons from Whats App after 2014, but those looking to cherry-pick from the past to create an atmosphere for one nation, one leader, and one slogan might find the spectacular symbolism worth emulating.