Kangana
Ranaut’s
decline
as
an
actor
feels
complete,
observes
Utkarsh
Mishra.
What
would
you,
my
fellow
Indian,
envision
if
I
asked
you
to
imagine
a
dramatic
depiction
of
the
sequence
when
Prime
Minister
Indira
Gandhi
declared
war
on
Pakistan
in
1971?
Whatever
you
picture,
I’m
certain
it
wouldn’t
involve
Opposition
leaders
—
including
Atal
Bihari
Vajpayee
(even
though
he
was
a
poet)
—
breaking
into
song,
thumping
their
desks
in
Parliament,
and
later
being
joined
by
Treasury
bench
members.
Nor
would
it
include
the
legendary
General
Sam
Manekshaw
singing
along
with
his
men,
thumping
their
chests,
and
saluting
the
Indian
map.
(Thankfully,
Sam
is
not
around
to
witness
this.)
Yet,
that
is
how
Bharatiya
Janata
Party
MP
Kangana
Ranaut
portrays
this
chapter
in
Emergency,
her
biopic
of
India’s
first
woman
prime
minister,
finally
released
after
a
protracted
battle
with
the
censors.
It’s
surprising
the
censors
didn’t
demand
this
scene
be
cut.
The
film
leaves
you
grasping
for
the
mot
juste
to
describe
it.
Nobody
expects
Bollywood
to
produce
biographical
or
historical
films
on
par
with
Lincoln
(2012)
or
All
the
Way
(2016).
But
the
industry
has
evolved
enough
to
at
least
spare
us
the
agony
of
seeing
historical
figures
breaking
into
song
during
pivotal
moments.
And
what
is
with
the
deafening
background
score
that
sometimes
even
drowns
out
the
dialogue?
It’s
futile
to
try
separating
fact
from
fiction
in
this
film.
The
performances
are
so
superficial
that
they
don’t
warrant
a
discussion
of
nuance,
or
the
lack
thereof.
Ranaut’s
decline
as
an
actor
feels
complete.
In
the
age
of
social
media,
most
of
us
have
watched
archival
footage
of
Mrs
Gandhi’s
interviews
and
speeches.
The
resolute,
decisive
eyes
and
confident
demeanor
are
glaringly
absent
in
Ranaut’s
portrayal.
Instead,
her
character
is
almost
always
teary-eyed
and
lacking
in
confidence.
The
only
moment
where
the
film
appears
to
find
its
footing
is
when
Ranaut’s
Indira
visits
a
village
in
Bihar
to
meet
peasants
tormented
by
landlords.
But
even
this
fizzles
out
as
the
film
abruptly
jumps
to
her
swearing-in
in
1980,
glossing
over
significant
events
in
between.
Other
crucial
chapters
of
history
are
treated
with
similar
haste.
The
film
opens
with
overt
Nehru-baiting
and
progresses
to
depict
a
weak
and
broken
Indira
Gandhi
rising
to
power,
her
sinister
attempts
to
consolidate
it,
her
eventual
regret
and
self-reflection
and
finally,
her
redemption
through
public
engagement
and
martyrdom.
Even
if
this
trajectory
was
the
intent,
it
could
have
been
executed
far
better.
In
fact,
almost
any
other
approach
would
have
been
an
improvement.
Watch
out
for
the
full
review
in
just
a
bit!
Emergency
Review
Rediff
Rating:
