Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency' To Be Cleared By CBFC With Cuts

The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) informed the Bombay High Court on Thursday that its revising committee has suggested certain cuts to Kangana Ranaut's film 'Emergency' before granting certification.

This was in response to a petition by co-producer Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, which accused the CBFC of "illegally" and "arbitrarily" withholding certification for the film.

Directed and co-produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, who portrays former PM Indira Gandhi, the film has faced delays in receiving clearance, reported Indian Express.

Zee Entertainment's lawyer requested time to decide whether to accept the suggested cuts, after which a bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh P Pooniwalla scheduled further hearings for Monday, September 30.

Previously, on September 19, the high court had directed the CBFC to make a decision by September 25, saying that delays in certification hinder freedom of expression and impose financial burdens on the film's producers.

The court urged the CBFC to make a decision promptly, stating, "The longer the film takes to get released, the greater will be the financial burden on the producers," and instructed the CBFC "not to sit on the fence" and take a definitive stance by the deadline.

During an earlier hearing, the petitioner had argued that a "political angle" related to the Haryana elections was causing the certification delay, citing concerns about the film's potential impact on voters.

The petitioner's lawyer said, "They (ruling party BJP) are willing to displease the sitting MP (Ranaut) to appease a particular section of the society... Here is a film which is anti-Sikh as per some groups. Then who will be responsible for releasing an anti-Sikh movie? It will be the CBFC, which is the executive. So, some members of the community will say we will not vote for the ruling party in the coming Haryana elections."

The bench had questioned, "You mean to say the political party is ruling against its own member of Parliament?" to which the petitioner responded affirmatively and called for an urgent decision.

During Thursday's hearing, Justice Colabawalla asked CBFC's lawyer, Abhinav Chandrachud, "Give us some good news."

Chandrachud replied that the Board had made a decision and proposed some cuts to the film, after which it could be released.

Following this, senior advocate Sharan Jagtiani, representing the petitioner, requested time to determine whether the suggested cuts could be accepted.

Earlier, on September 4, the high court had stated it could not issue directions to the CBFC to certify Emergency due to a pending order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court on a plea by Sikh groups.