Emergency Review: Movie attempts to recreate the tumultuous chapter of history but failed to provide wholesome entertainment
Emergency Movie Rating: 2 Stars
Watched Emergency movie in Cinema. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Satish Kaushik, Mahima Chaudhry and Vishak Nair
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Release Date: 17th December 2025 in cinema
Story: Movie revolves around Indira Gandhi (Kangana Ranaut) becomes the third Prime Minister of India two years after the death of her father and the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Sanjay Gurbaxani). She is considered a weak leader who would be dominated by the Cabinet But soon, she shows her worth by successfully gets cooperation from the Russian and French governments during the 1971 crisis with Pakistan.
After India’s victory in the war, her popularity rises considerably. Soon, however, the country is plagued by strikes and hartals, denting her popularity. In 1975, she loses a decisive case in Allahabad High Court. The Court makes it clear that her victory in the election is null and void and hence, she’ll have to step down from the post of the Prime Minister. But motivated by her reckless son Sanjay Gandhi (Vishak Nair), she does the unthinkable and imposes an Emergency in the country. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Cinematography
3. Story
Negatives
1. Direction
2. Songs
3. Climax
4. Slow & uneven screenplay
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie in cinemas as it’s based on true events and always liked such movies. Set against the backdrop of the Emergency imposed in 1975, the political drama delves into the pivotal incidents during the leadership of India’s then-Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi.
Emergency is adapted from the books ‘Priyadarshini’ by Jaiyanth Vasanth Sinha and ‘The Emergency: A Personal History’ by Coomi Kapoor. While the story is interesting, it tries to pack in too much in the limited time span of two-and-a-half hours and does not completely satisfy the viewer as it often appears to be touch-and-go. The film doesn’t shy away from the complexities of the era, offering a multifaceted portrayal of power, governance, and the personal costs of leadership. It does deliver some powerful moments. One of the standout scenes is Indira Gandhi’s confrontation with US President Richard Nixon ahead of the Indo-Pak War in 1971. Her emphatic retort, “You have weaponry, we have courage,” is a highlight, followed by the meticulously crafted war sequence. Kangana Ranaut’s portrayal of Indira Gandhi is the film’s beating heart. The actress brings to life the iron-willed, enigmatic leader with astonishing depth. It excels in its visual storytelling. The cinematography beautifully captures the essence of the 1970s, from the bustling streets of Delhi to the tense, high-stakes political arenas. The background score complements the film’s tense atmosphere, making the stakes feel even higher as the story unfolds.
It’s obvious that one would expect the 1975 Emergency to be the prime focus of a film named after that. However, Kangana Ranaut just touched upon what’s called one of the darkest phases in contemporary Indian history, in a bid to deliver a crash course on Indira Gandhi. The actor, who also directed the film, seemed to be so in a rush to cover all the chapters that she barely flipped through the pages of the life of India’s first and only female prime minister. Ironically, the pacing tests your patience as there are times when you want to know more. Unless you are a GK enthusiast, you would also spend more time Googling the happenings on screen. The songs are an unnecessary distraction and a couple of them are even picturized as dramatic musicals, which makes it unintentionally funny. The violence, on the other hand, is gory and seems like Kangana enjoys close-ups as faces keep zooming in on the screen. The film is more like a documentary or rather a docudrama. Hence, it doesn’t have much for the mainstream audience that expects wholesome entertainment. The post-interval part is nice, but the climax does not live up to the build-up in the first half.
Overall, movie tries to walk a tightrope of glorifying Indira’s achievement while also depicting her shortcomings and dictator-like exercise. Itis hindered by its overly dramatized approach and one-dimensional portrayals. The lack of narrative fluidity and context undermines the attempt to narrate an important chapter in Indian history. My view on this movie Not Recommended but if you are fan of Kangana Ranaut or political drama then you can give it a try.
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