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Kangana Ranaut’s Production House and Netflix Sued Over Historical Inaccuracies in ‘Emergency’
Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, a company owned by actor Kangana Ranaut’s family, along with streaming platform Netflix, is facing a lawsuit from senior journalist and author Coomi Kapoor. The suit alleges breach of contract and damage to Kapoor’s reputation in relation to the film Emergency, which is directed and co-produced by Kangana and features her in the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Kapoor filed the lawsuit after receiving no response to the legal notices she sent to Ranaut’s company and Netflix on April 3. The film opens with a disclaimer stating it is inspired by Kapoor’s book, The Emergency: A Personal History, and other materials from public domain sources. However, the disclaimer on Netflix claims the film is “based on” the two books, which Kapoor contends misrepresents her work. Despite her legal notice, the disclaimer has yet to be amended on the Netflix platform. Kapoor, a contributing editor for The Indian Express, stated, “The damage caused to my reputation as a journalist and author is irretrievable.”Published by Penguin in 2015, Kapoor’s book recounts her experiences and research during the tumultuous 21 months of the Emergency imposed from June 1975.
She asserts that Kangana’s brother, Aksht Ranaut, approached her in 2021 to obtain the rights to her book, specifically a chapter focusing on Indira Gandhi. Kapoor signed a tripartite contract with Manikarnika Films and Penguin, which included clauses stipulating that while the producers had full artistic license, any modifications must align with historical facts. Additionally, the contract required that Kapoor’s name and book not be used for promotional purposes without her prior approval.Kapoor claims she was never shown the film’s script and, after multiple unreturned phone calls, sent Aksht two WhatsApp messages expressing her concerns.
She watched the film for the first time upon its release on Netflix on March 17, after it had premiered in theaters on January 17. Following the release, Kapoor received complaints regarding inaccuracies in the film from friends, including Akbar Ahmad (Dumpy), who pointed out that the film inaccurately attributes the ban on Kishore Kumar’s songs on All India Radio to him, while her book identifies the then Information and Broadcasting Minister VC Shukla as responsible for the ban.
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