The senarios of the upcoming movie “Emergency” has invited controversy and anger, since the Supreme Sikh Council of Australia demands to ban the movie in the country. This demand arose out of the feeling among the Sikhs about the depiction of the ‘Emergency’ in India, 1975-1977, a period of political and civil unrest under Indira Gandhi.
Background of the Emergency in India
The Emergency is a term used to describe a period of the political crisis in India that lasted for 21 months between 1975 & 1977 when Indira Gandhi declared the state of emergency across the country. It is in this era that human rights abuses such as arrest of political dissent, suppression of press freedom and most importantly the blotting out of civil liberties were rife. The Emergency period is still considered to be one of the worst events in India’s history after gaining independence of the country and is still has a negative impact on the political development of the country.
Concerns Raised by the Sikh Community
The Supreme Sikh Council of Australia has opposed the making of the movie stating that it might give half-truth or may not portray the entire true picture of the emergency period specially regarding the Sikhs. At this time, people of Sikh religion suffered, political repression, acts of violence and the latter is concerned they might be ignored or distorted in the movie.
This particular call and the existing contentiousness in the sikh council shed more light in how the sikhs perceive their history in the current mainstream media. I believe that misrepresentation or oversimplification of such a complex and painful period could result in further alienation and hurt to the society especially the Sikh society that is integral part and parcel of multicultural Australia.
Kangana Ranaut’s Role in ‘Emergency’
This year’s release ‘Emergency’ is acted as well as directed by Kangana Ranaut, a bold actress who doesn’t shy away from controversy. She’s portraying Indira Gandhi by depicting politics and political actions of Indira Gandhi especially leading up to the declaration of the emergency period. Ranaut has depicted Gandhi, an icon who is appreciated and despised in certain sections of Indian society and polity respectively, which has already fuelled a lot of controversy.
Thus, taking into account Ranaut’s past movies and the problematic statements he made in the past, “Emergency” shouldn’t be an exception to the rule. The Sikh Council’s fears appear to fall under a paradigm of worry much more general in nature: the manner in which history, especially the history of minorities, is portrayed in a mainstream media.
The Potential Impact of a Ban
This makes the call by the Supreme Sikh Council particularly dangerous for if it is inclined to be acted upon then it would go a long way towards establishing a precedent in film censorship especially in multicultural societies. Such a ban would also raise further discourse on the part of filmmakers in portraying history as it is, and in how they should represent such representation to the world in a sensitive manner more so when it involves minority groups.
In addition, if the movie is banned in Australia it may change the way other countries with a large Sikh population including Canada, United Kingdom and United State of America receive it. This might also make other communities also look into how their past is portrayed on media, and may result to more demands for censorship or changes on movies.
The Filmmaker’s Responsibility
The questions that arise every time watching “Emergency” demonstrate the urgent purpose that film makers have while dealing with historical themes. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with artists trying to be as artistic as possible within their jobs, however, there is such a thing as accuracy and sensitivity, especially when the art in question is based on some real life event that shaped some communities.
Industry influencers such as directors and actors like Kangana Ranaut coming under pressure to perform the difficult task of dealing with such prominent issues. ”Emergency”: When the movie or history takes place at that’s very real and very jarring, one must pay attention to how stories told on screen can impact people, their beliefs, and society, not only as an art form but with the power to steer culture.
Conclusion: Awaiting the Response
Till now, Kangana Ranaut who is the leading actress and the director of this film ‘Emergency’ have not come up with any official response to the demand made by the Supreme Sikh Council. The response to the movie by the pubic especially the Sikh community in countries with sizeable communities is awaited. This case can be regarded as an illustration of the problematic relationship between art and culture, a relationship that film makers have to respect with sleek sensitiveness in the process of globalization.
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