‘Emergency’ not screened in most places in Punjab after SGPC protests, Kangana Ranaut calls it ‘harassment’

Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency was not screened at most cinemas in Punjab on Friday following protests by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh organisations

Kangana Ranaut's Emergency was not screened at most cinemas in Punjab on Friday following protests by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh organisations against the movie.

The SGPC and several Sikh organisations held demonstrations outside cinemas and the malls at many places in Punjab against the movie.

Ranaut, who has directed, written and produced the political drama, has decried SGPC's demand for a ban on Emergency and said the film’s restricted screenings in parts of Punjab is a complete harassment of “art and the artist”.

The film, which sees Ranaut playing the role of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, focuses on 21 months of Emergency from 1975 to 1977. The movie, in controversy over its censor certificate and allegations that it misrepresents the Sikh community, was released across the country on Friday after several delays.

Most cinemas in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda did not screen the movie. Police force was deployed outside the malls and cinemas in the state.

In Amritsar, for instance, protesters including women were seen carrying black flags and placards saying "Emergency should be banned" and Boycott Emergency movie".

"We spoke with the Central government and the Punjab government to stop the release of the movie but no action was taken...," SGPC's Partap Singh told PTI, adding that they had gathered to stop the release because the film had been made to disturb the peace of Punjab.