Kangana Ranaut’s highly awaited political drama film ‘Emergency’ has been prohibited from being released in Bangladesh, causing concerns in both the entertainment and diplomatic circles. The movie, which explores the tumultuous era of the Emergency imposed in India in 1975 by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, has become a focal point of a geopolitical deadlock.
A source close to the matter revealed, “The decision to halt the screening of Emergency in Bangladesh is tied to the current strained relations between India and Bangladesh. The ban is less about the content of the film and more about the ongoing political dynamics between the two nations.”
Emergency emphasizes the involvement of the Indian Army and Indira Gandhi’s administration in the 1971 war for Bangladesh’s independence, as well as the assistance provided to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, known as the Father of Bangladesh, who referred to Indira Gandhi as Goddess Durga.
The movie also highlights the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Bangladeshi extremists—elements thought to have contributed to the film’s prohibition in Bangladesh.
Emergency, releasing in Indian cinemas in three days, has generated significant excitement for its daring representation of a crucial event in Indian history. Nonetheless, the prohibition of the film in Bangladesh underscores a rising trend in which cultural exchanges are more and more shaped by the political environment.
This development comes at a moment when the exhibition of Indian movies in Bangladesh has experienced major interruptions, mainly due to changing diplomatic relationships.
Emergency is not the only movie to encounter a ban; films such as Pushpa 2 and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 have likewise been barred from being released in Bangladesh.
The movie likewise portrays the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Bangladeshi radicals, an incident thought to have led to the film’s prohibition in Bangladesh.