The Censor Board of Film Certifications's (CBFC) review committee have recommended "some cuts" before the actor and Member of Parliament (MP) Kangana Ranaut's latest movie, "Emergency" can be released.
The film was set to be released on Sep 6 but problems arose when objections were raised on misrepresentation of the Sikh community and historical inaccuracies in the film's trailer.
The 1975 Emergency declared by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi serves as the basis for the film.
Zee Entertainment Enterprises, one of the film's co-producers, filed a plea with the High Court for getting the censor certificate so that the film can be released.
Taking into account the film ratings body's objections, the court last week ordered the CBFC to make a final decision, saying that "it is not for the CBFC to decide whether this affects public order."
One of the two judges on the division bench hearing this case, Justice BP Colabwalla, pointed out that Ranaut's production was not a documentary and questioned whether the general public was so gullible as to believe anything they saw in a film. How about artistic freedom?"
The CBFC "cannot sit on the fence," the court further declared.
"Take a decision. Let's see what the revising committee says, be it deciding to release or not. Take a decision. Have the courage to say that the film should not be released. We will appreciate the stand of the CBFC," the court said.
The censor board's attorney, Abhinav Chandrachud, informed the court that in certain scenes, a divisive character is negotiating with political parties.
He said, "We have to see if this is factually accurate," adding that the film lacks a "political angle."
Earlier, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by two Sikh organizations brought the case before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The CBFC responded by informing the court that no certificate had been given for the film.
The petition was then dismissed by the court. Ranaut has claimed that she was forced to sell the property as a result of the delay in getting a censor certificate.
"I had staked my personal property on this film... which was supposed to come in theaters.
Now it is not releasing, so the property is there, to be sold off in difficult times," she said in a post on X.
Ranaut, who is producing the film, also plays the lead role portraying Indira Gandhi. Anupam Kher, Shreyas
Talpade, Vishak Nair, Mahima Chaudhry, and Milind Soman are among other actors who play important roles in the film.
