Emergency review: A competent political drama about the consequences of unchecked power

The recent political movies from Bollywood have often bordered on being both tacky and amateurish. They often end up glorifying the current ruling party while showcasing the Opposition Congress as either fools or extreme villains.

With Kangana being a BJP MP, her political ideology is well-known. Emergency directed and written by Kangana has had a long battle before its eventual release.

The censor board had asked for numerous cuts. Recently even the Sikh organizations wanted a ban on it.

Synopsis

Setting aside the controversies, Emergency offers a fairly balanced portrayal of the life and times of Indira Gandhi.

Kangana Ranaut presents the controversial prime minister sometimes as a villain who got blinded by her son’s love doing terrible things. At the same time, the movie showcases the emotional turmoil that Indira went through, we see her getting haunted by her image in Shakespearean style.

Emergency begins with glimpses of Indira’s childhood; the story spans her tumultuous journey till the end highlighting the various trials and tribulations like her complex relationships with her father and the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, as well as her husband Feroze Gandhi.

Portrayal of Emergency

On the sets of Emergency
On the sets of ‘Emergency’. (Supplied)

The best part of the Kangana directorial is undoubtedly the portrayal of events leading up to the extremely harrowing period of emergency.

Kangana showcases the very dangerous consequences of unchecked power. Political leaders are locked up and all the dissenters of Indira Gandhi are simply labelled as “anti-national”.

The media, especially the newspapers, supposed to represent the voice of the common man also suffered badly due to Indira Gandhi’s dictatorial ways. The discerning audience can definitely draw a parallel to today’s environment.

In the present times, anyone who raises their voice against Hindutva and BJP is labelled as anti-national and often put in prison for expressing their opinions.

Of course, Kangana wouldn’t have designed these portions keeping this aspect in mind, still, for those who can look beyond the obvious the parallels are very apparent.

Best moments

The dynamics between Indira and Sanjay also give the movie some of its best moments. Indira has a very soft corner for her son often overlooking his bratish ways. This unabashed love for the son makes her blind towards his deviousness.

Kangana Ranaut in Emergency
Kangana Ranaut in ‘Emergency’. (X)

The movie portrays Sanjay Gandhi as the major force behind the excessive brutality of the emergency. He was always confident about having his mother’s support. However, this changes when Indira develops a conscience deciding to take things under her control.

There is a hugely poignant moment after the death of Sanjay Gandhi. Many common people are seen celebrating the death of this spoilt brat linking him to a Raavan. Indira has a major breakdown in the car repenting about the way she has brought up her son.

A major problem with Emergency is its docu-drama feel. At certain points, the movie feels like a rushed narration of the major events in Indira Gandhi’s life.

Indira Gandhi’s return to power and the entire Blue Star operation leading to her being gunned down suffer on the account of an episodic feel.

These parts needed better layering for the viewers to develop a more emotional connection with the protagonist.

Kangana as Indira Gandhi

A poster of the film Emergency
A poster of the film ‘Emergency’. (X)

Kangana Ranaut as Indira Gandhi takes a while to get used to. Her initial speeches in the parliament suffer on account of her squeaky voice however as the movie progresses Kangana Ranaut also becomes better.

The actress particularly shines in the sequences showcasing Indira Gandhi’s emotional turmoil, the scenes where she is haunted by her fate and later expresses remorse have been well portrayed by the actor.

For some, the redemption arc may come across as being calculative to avoid further backlash, still the way these portions have been written and performed is wonderful to watch.

Talking about other actors, Vishak Nair as Sanjay Gandhi is also terrific perfectly portraying the reckless nature of Sanjay. He imbibes Sanjay’s ruthlessness wonderfully making the viewers detest him.

Seniors Anupam Kher and the late Satish Kaushik make their presence amply felt too, as a moral counterpoint to Indira Gandhi. They play Jayaprakash Narayan and Jagjvan Ram respectively.

The dashing Milind Sonam as the famous field Marshal Sam Manekshaw also gives a good account of Manekshaw. Lastly, Shreyas Talpade as Advani also brings a certain authenticity.

Technical aspects

The cinematography of Tuesto Nagata also deserves a special mention. His work particularly in the disturbing emergency is outstanding. Through his lens, Tuesto Nagata does a very fine job of capturing the immense turmoil that the nation had gone through.

The songs come across as more of unwanted guests. The political leaders lip-syncing songs come across as unnecessary; still, “Ae Meri Jaan” sung by the legendary Hariharan makes for a soothing listen and a good watch.

Final take

Keeping aside the rushed storytelling and its docu-drama feel, Emergency makes for a good watch provided you are into political dramas.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha)

Kangana Ranaut: The Rise And Decline Of The National Award-Winning Actress

Kangana Ranaut made her acting debut with Anurag Basu’s directorial Gangster in the year 2006.  The film co-starred Shiney Ahuja and Emraan Hashmi.

In this movie, she played a young woman with a traumatic past. This included falling in love with a wanted gangster and running away with him.

Gangster opened to mostly positive reviews and Kangana was praised for her performance.

On the flip side, the success of Gangster led the actress to play similar roles (troubled women) in her subsequent films — Woh Lamhe (2006), Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009), and Fashion (2008).

35 films to date

With Chandramukhi 2 (2023) and Tejas (2023), Kangana Ranaut has done 35 films so far.

Some of her most notable performances are: Tanu weds Manu films (2011 and 2015), Queen (2013), FashionRangoon (2017), Manikarnika (2019), and Panga (2020).

Vikas Bahl’s Queen is a significant film in the Bollywood actor’s career as her role of Rani Mehra is quite a departure from the likes of Gangster and Fashion. And, the actress rightfully won her first National Award for Best Actress for this film.

The Tanu Weds Manu films are another major landmark in Kangana’s career, particularly the sequel. In Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Kangana Ranaut played a double role and was hugely successful in carrying the film on her shoulders.

Tanu Weds Manu Returns did much more business than the prequel. The actress also got her second National Award for Best Actress for this film.  The other National Awards came for Manikarnika and Panga respectively.

A downward graph

After Tanu weds Manu Returns, Kangana Ranaut became a bankable star actress considered on par with heroes. But unfortunately, after that, the graph has been going downwards with every new release.

It is a combination of bad script choices coupled with her excessive rants on social media which haven’t done her any favour even with her fans.

For example, she labelled both Swara Bhasker and Taapsee Pannu as needy outsiders.

She even called Vikrant Massey a cockroach.

Her continuous attacks on Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt are something that everyone is familiar with.

Before the release of Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022), the actress went on record that crores of money would bite the dust along with the film.

She also attacked Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2020) before its release.

All this has come back to haunt the actress with her latest release Tejas (2023). Fittingly, Vikrant Massey’s 12th Fail, released on the same day, has emerged as a big success.

Now, let’s focus on Kangana’s non-performing films and give an overview of why they have fared the way they have starting from Tejas.

Tejas

Tejas, debutant director Sarvesh Mewara’s Air Force thriller/drama, was a mix of patriotism coupled with women empowerment. But the filmmaker failed to succeed on both counts.

Sarvesh Mewara’s direction was dull, but having said that, Kangana Ranaut’s single-tone act made the film even more unbearable.

Irrespective of the scene that the actress was performing, there was a robotic quality to the way she was delivering her dialogues.

Ideally, the big speech about the Indian soldiers should have an emotional connection. But viewers don’t feel any connection because it comes across as more of a real-life rant that the actress is known for.

Chandramukhi 2

Rajinikanth and Jyotika-starrer Chandramukhi (2005, Tamil) is a movie that enjoys a special place in the hearts of the viewers.

It is widely considered as Jyotika’s best. Her performance as a married woman suffering from a split personality was a treat to watch.

Jyotika’s act was always going to be a tough one to match, but the extent to which Kangana Ranaut failed in Chandramukhi 2 (2023) was unimaginable.

A lot of the blame for this fiasco lied with the sketchy characterisation. But the fact that Kangana didn’t match even 5 percent of what Jyotika did in the prequel was also to be blamed.

Adding to viewers’ woes were Kangana Ranaut’s Bharatanatyam dances that generated unintentional comedy.

Thalaivi

The real-life story of Jayalalithaa is an inspiring one in many ways. She was a woman of steel with many highs and lows.

Before Thalaivi (2021), there was a web series called Queen (2019) directed by Gautham Menon and Prasanth Murugesan.

Both directors did a good job of portraying Jayalalithaa’s life. Ramya Krishna who played the title role was also solid in her performance.

But AL Vijay’s Thalaivi did not match Queen.

Vijay did a good job in the first half exploring the relationship between Jayalalithaa and MGR (Kangana Ranaut and Aravind Swamy respectively).

But in the second half, the director slipped badly and from then on it was all downhill.

The political side of Jayalalithaa was shown in a rushed manner. At certain points, it looked like AL Vijay was more interested in playing to Kangana’s real-life image rather than the story.

Another problem with the film was the characterisation of Nassar’s Karunanidhi; it was more of a caricature.

Panga

Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s Panga (2020) was a sports drama that revolved around a former kabaddi player who gave up her dreams just before a major tournament.

The movie did receive glowing reviews with Kangana receiving critical acclaim.

Kangana Ranaut’s role of Jaya was easily one of the best characters in her filmography. But, in spite of all the positive reviews, Panga was a non-starter at the box office.

A reason that could be attributed to its failure was a certain fatigue that had set in with this genre.

Manikarnika

Manikarnika co-directed by Kangana Ranaut and Krish Jagarlamudi was not an absolute disaster in comparison to the above-mentioned films.

The movie did reasonable business but wasn’t a blockbuster hit as the actress claimed.

Kangana Ranaut made for a perfect Jhansi ki rani. The ferociousness and swagger required of a Queen was very much there.

Neetu Lulla’s costumes also came in for much praise particularly the ones worn by Kangana Ranaut.

However, the big problem with Manikarnika was that it became all about Kangana alone with not much space for anyone else.

The cardboard British characters were another eyesore.

Judgemental Hai Kya

Actor-director Prakash Kovelamudi tried to do many things with Judgemental Hai Kya (2019).

On one hand, it was a dark comedy. In the second half, the film turned into a whodunit combined with commentary on mental health.

However, this khichdi of genres didn’t amalgamate into something truly memorable.

The film had solid performances from both Kangana Ranaut and Rajkumar Rao.

Of course, the actress is no stranger to playing mentally unhinged characters and she did do a good job. Rajkumar Rao also did a wonderful job in his negative role.

Just like Thalaivi, this movie too suffered from the curse of the second half. It could have been so much more but it ended up neither here nor there.

The multiplex audiences didn’t completely get it and the masses were simply not interested in it.

Katti Batti

Nikhil Advani’s Katti Batti (2015) is a concoction of many films. There was clear inspiration from Hollywood romantic movies coupled with his directorial debut Kal Ho Na Ho.

For reasons best known to Nikhil, he placed the weight of Katti Batti on the shoulders of a struggling Imran Khan.

Kangana Ranaut enters and exists as per the convenience of the screenplay, though she rated her performance in this movie on par with Tanu Weds Manu Returns.

Not surprisingly, the audiences preferred to do “Katti” with the flick!

Well, it is sad to see a good actress losing both on- and off-screen and getting embroiled in unnecessary controversies.

Wish Kangana Ranaut would refocus on her craft and deliver many more Queens and Tanus!

Tiku Weds Sheru: A Hotchpotch Of ‘Luck By Chance’ And ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ That Leaves You With A Bitter Aftertaste

Avneeth Kaur’s confident debut and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s earnestness aren’t enough to salvage this wreck of a film.

A complete dud!
Tiku Weds Sheru (Hindi)
  • Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Avneet Kaur
  • Direction: Sai Kabir
  • Producers: Kangana Ranaut
  • Music: Gaurav Chatterji
  • Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes
  • OTT platform: Amazon Prime

There have been several films set against the backdrop of the film industry and Tiku Weds Sheru is one such.

For example, Shyam Benegal’s Bhumika (1977) was based on a well-known Marathi stage and screen actress of the 1940s. Even before that, Guru Dutt’s Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959) explored the turbulent life of a famous filmmaker.

If we talk about recent times, Zoya Akhtar showed the journey of two aspiring actors who arrive in Mumbai to become big stars in Luck By Chance (2009). Though the film didn’t make a lot of money, it was critically appreciated and won the best debut director award for Zoya.

This year, you had the web series Jubliee (2023), directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. It was about the film industry of the 1940-50s through five major characters. It turned out to be a major hit on Amazon Prime.

Sai Kabir’s Tiku Weds Sheru majorly takes inspiration from two films — Luck By Chance Kangana Ranaut’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015). Even the title resembles it.

Director Sai Kabir tries to address many pertinent issues like misogyny and patriarchy here, but his direction lacks the required clarity. Tiku Weds Sheru neither works as a romantic drama nor as a story of two underdogs.

Shiraz Afghani aka Sheru (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), is one of the many countless junior artists slogging it out in the film industry. Apart from being a junior artist, he works secretly as a pimp too.

Synopsis

Tiku (Avneeth Kaur) is a fierce girl from Bhopal. She has a good flair for poetry. Tiku aims to escape from her misogynistic family and become a superstar in Bollywood.

Her ticket to Bollywood comes in the form of Sheru who pretends to be a film financer. The duo gets married.

He uses the dowry money to repay a loan shark. Sheru doesn’t know that Tiku has already got a boyfriend and is using him as a gateway to reunite with him. This boyfriend promises to make her a superstar.

But eventually, he dumps her as expected. The rest of the story is about how Tiku and Sheru navigate their personal lives, and also the world of showbiz.

The only positive aspect

The only positive aspect of Tiku Weds Sheru is the performances of the individual actors.

Avneeth Kaur, in particular, sparkles as the girl who aspires to be a superstar. She shines equally in both the dramatic and comic bits. With a much better script, this girl can go a long way.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui brings certain earnestness to his part, as he does in most of his films. His performance here is no Manto (2018). Nevertheless, he is sincere.

But at the same time, Nawazuddin looks completely out of place in the dancing portions.

Fails to do justice

But as a pair, there is a complete lack of chemistry between the leads. It is not just about the hugely significant age gap. But there is a general awkwardness in the romantic scenes which only adds to the woes of the film.

The biggest issue with Tiku Weds Sheru is that it does not do justice to any of the themes handled.

The issues of the plight of the junior artists and the casting couch are very pertinent, but director Sai Kabir makes a mockery with his inept direction.

The supporting characters are another big joke. All of them are one-note characters. As a result, none of them leaves an impact.

Kangana’s cameo also comes out of nowhere. It is a part that could have been easily deleted

Verdict

Tiku Weds Sheru is the first venture for Kangana as a producer and the third film for Sai Kabir. Unfortunately, it turns out to be a complete dud. Hope they come up with better and more original stories in future.

(Views expressed here are personal.)

Thalaivi: Starts Off Promisingly But Loses Steam Midway

The life of Jayalalithaa makes for an engaging dramatic story. She was someone who treaded her own path in the industry and later became an iron- fisted politician. There are highs and lows in her life both as an actress and also as a politician. Not surprisingly many biopics were announced after death. You have already had Gautam Menon’s web series Queen starring Ramya Krishna as Jayalalithaa. There was also the announcement of Nithya Menon playing Jayalalithaa alongside the Kangana Ranaut’s one directed by AL Vijay.

Out of the two AL Vijay’s one has been creating lot of buzz. Apart from the real life personality Kangana playing the title role has also helped in the buzz. After seeing Thalaivii the first thing that comes to your mind is how much of Kangana’s presence affected the film particularly in the second half. Al Vijay does a good job in exploring in the Jayalalithaa and MGR relationship along with the impact that MGR had in her joining politics. The MGR character is played by the terrific Aravind Swamy. But the film dips badly in the second half and never really recovers.

There is nothing wrong in playing to the gallery but AL Vijay along with writer Vijayendra Prasad overplayed the masala. It also doesn’t help that the film becomes melodramatic. It is a shame because Thalaivii had lot of potential.

Thailavii begins off with a disturbing scene where Jayalalithaa is molested in the Vidhan Sabha. She compares herself to Draupadi and makes a vow that she will enter the assembly only after becoming the chief minister. From there we move to Jaya’s acting journey. We see her dancing around the tress and also wearing some striking retro costumes. The first half is mostly devoted to establishing the bond between Jaya and MGR. We see MGR helping her in being more comfortable in front of the camera. Slowly Jaya starts having a significant space in MGR’s life. It doesn’t go down too well with Raj Arun who plays the trusted man of MGR. There are also glimpses of Karunanidhi played by Nassar and MGR entering into politics. The second half takes a big shift as the plot looks at Jayalalithaa’s political entry and how she became a revered leader.

One of the things that AL Vijay gets right is recreation of the period. The atmospherics in the first half fits the time zone aptly. The costumes are beautiful without making it come across as gaudy. The set design is also appropriate and there are times where you will get nostalgic.

Aravind Swamy, as I earlier said, is brilliant. He does an outstanding job in making sure that MGR doesn’t come across a caricature. He particularly shines in the second half as the politician. His scenes with Kangana are emotionally quite moving. A scene which I really liked was after her bharatnatyam performance. He says to her that if he hadn’t come as a chief minister he would have whistled there itself. After that we see him closing the door and giving a loud whistle much to Jaya’s surprise.

The biggest issue with Thalaivii is the rushed portrayal of Jayalalithaa’s entry into politics. An important incident related to the misuse of MGR’s Midday Meal scheme doesn’t have the emotional impact that it needed to have. There are many instances in the second half where you feel that the makers are playing to Kangana’s image instead of focusing on the core story.

The character of Karunanidhi also doesn’t leave any impact whatsoever. Nassar has the presence but is severely underutilised and comes across as a caricature.

Coming to Kangana Ranaut the actress tries hard to fill in the big shoes. She fares better as an actress than as a politician. The makeup and the effort to look hefty in the second half just doesn’t work.

A personality like Jayalalithaa deserves a far better attempt than this.