Emergency

I was so looking forward to this movie, but it was a big disappointment.

Except for Kangana's acting, makeup, and cast selection, nothing works. The movie touches so many events superficially, bouncing from one to another, without givong background or context on any event. Consequently, if you're not already aware of those events and their significance, the movie doesn't inform or educate you on most of them. It would have been much better to focus on fewer things and provide more context/background that help you understand Indira's character. A good story teller and director would have helped. Despite the title, the emergency isn't given adequate coverage.

The music is loud. Kangana's close-ups are on the screen a little much. And Vajpayee and Maneckshaw singing a song - seriously?

What a disappointment!

The subject of the movie is why I went to watch it, as this wasn't taught at school, the movie was very underwhelming though. The movie felt like a non-stop series of events in rapid succession. Before one could grasp what was happening at a particular time period depicted in the movie, it was already on to the next one! For people like me who don't know the complete history from that time, this movie did not feel very informative. Names of characters could have been shown at certain places. The weird thing was the dubbing of the French and some Bengali dialogues! Never before have I seen such a thing in a movie. It looks like the dialogues were not given a proper thought and dubbing was added as a post thought. The makers could have easily included hindi translations for the Bengali and French dialogues. The second half of the movie was more well-defined than the first one. Overall, a boring experience.

Emergency (2025) sets out to dramatise one of the most controversial chapters in Indian political history-the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977. It was an ambitious subject, rich with political intrigue, constitutional breakdown, and human stories that deserved to be told with depth and nuance. Unfortunately, while Kangana Ranaut delivers a reasonably compelling performance as Indira Gandhi, her directorial choices fall flat, making the film feel more like a half-baked political cosplay than a powerful political drama.

Let me start with what worked. Kangana, as an actor, brings sincerity to her portrayal of Indira Gandhi. The prosthetics, makeup, and costume design help her resemble the late Prime Minister quite convincingly. She clearly studied Gandhi's mannerisms, voice modulation, and demeanour-and in isolated moments, you can see the intensity and command she tried to channel.

But even as an actor, she seems held back by her own direction. Rather than letting the performance breathe, the film often cuts away too quickly or drowns the scene in overbearing background scores. There are moments when she genuinely shines, but they're scattered in a sea of over-dramatisation.

Direction is where the film really struggles. As a director, Kangana tries to tackle too much and ends up achieving very little. The film is crammed with historical events, political figures, and ideological references, but there's no narrative flow or emotional core tying it all together. It's like flipping through a disorganised political scrapbook-event after event with no time to reflect, no depth, and often, no clarity.

The characters are reduced to caricatures. Their dialogues are too on-the-nose, sometimes bordering on laughable. And in her attempt to portray herself as a strong leader facing opposition from all sides, she forgets to develop the supporting characters, who are either demonised or glorified in extremes, leaving no room for gray shades or complexity.

Visually, the film tries hard to look polished. There are moments where the cinematography manages to create atmosphere, and the production design does its part in evoking the 70s. But the editing is choppy and lacks rhythm. Scene transitions are abrupt, and some sequences feel unintentionally comical. One particularly bizarre moment had a room full of political leaders breaking into a jarring musical sequence that completely destroyed the tone.

Also, the film leans heavily on expository dialogue and voiceovers instead of letting the visuals or subtext tell the story. It feels like the director didn't trust the audience to understand the context without spoon-feeding it.

The Emergency era is one of those rare moments in Indian history where personal ambition, political ideology, and institutional collapse intersect. It had the potential to be a deeply engaging political thriller. But instead of focusing on storytelling and character development, the film feels like a personal vanity project. It tries too hard to send a message and ends up delivering a sermon instead of a story.

Emergency (2025) could have been a sharp, reflective, and haunting look at power and its consequences. Instead, it turns into a self-indulgent, uneven mess that does injustice to both the subject matter and its cinematic potential. Kangana Ranaut proves once again that she's a capable actor-but as a director, she's not there yet.

This film deserved better.

Most of the incidents are rushed through and summarised quickly.. which is ok as long as people have already read about it in past. The main focus seemed to be on Mrs Gandhi's character and not on details of emergency..if movie is renamed then it will appeal more.

Acting is superb, mainly for actors who played Gandhi family.

Angle and conversation with spiritual leader is good and new.

Probably many scenes were cut hence it seemed like an overview of incidents , so in my opinion it covers around 80% and still 20% important mentions are missed like passing law with backdated in affect which could have shown real power hunger or more gray character.

To truly appreciate this movie, you need to understand our country's history. It presents her story with raw authenticity.

As a historical drama, the film delves deep into the events surrounding the Emergency of 1975, shedding light on the political upheaval and its profound impact on ordinary citizens.

The movie effectively highlights how politics and politicians have the power to shape a country's socio-economic landscape, for better or worse, through their actions and decisions.

Kangana's portrayal of Indira Ji is, in my opinion, one of her finest performances to date, powerful and deeply compelling.