Emergency

Kangana Ranaut's Emergency promised to be a bold and gripping take on one of the darkest periods in Indian political history. However, the execution leaves much to be desired, as the film falters on multiple fronts, from its skewed historical narrative to lackluster direction and acting.

The film's premise, centered around the controversial Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975, had the potential to offer an insightful exploration of a politically charged and complex era. Unfortunately, Kangana's portrayal of historical events feels overly dramatized and riddled with inaccuracies. Instead of delivering a nuanced and balanced account, the film leans heavily on a one-sided perspective, sacrificing historical depth for sensationalism.

As a director, Kangana struggles to maintain a coherent narrative. The pacing is uneven, with certain key events either rushed or stretched unnecessarily. Scenes that should carry emotional weight often fall flat due to poor transitions and an overall lack of subtlety. The dialogue, peppered with melodrama, further detracts from the story's credibility.

Kangana's performance as Indira Gandhi also disappoints. While she undoubtedly puts in the effort to embody the former Prime Minister, her portrayal comes across as superficial and inconsistent. The lack of emotional depth in her acting makes it hard to connect with her character, leaving the audience unengaged.

The supporting cast, though competent, is underutilized, with their characters reduced to mere caricatures. This further highlights the film's failure to delve into the complexities of the Emergency period and its impact on diverse sections of society.

On a technical level, Emergency fares slightly better, with its cinematography and production design doing justice to the era it depicts. However, these elements cannot compensate for the film's fundamental shortcomings in storytelling and characterization.

Overall, Emergency is an ambitious project that misses the mark. While Kangana's intention to tackle a pivotal chapter in India's history is commendable, her flawed take on the subject, coupled with sloppy direction and an underwhelming performance, makes for a disappointing cinematic experience. A more balanced and well-researched approach might have elevated the film, but as it stands, Emergency feels like a missed opportunity.

It seems like she is mimicking rather than truly acting. While it's commendable that the filmmakers attempted to take on such an ambitious subject, the portrayal just doesn't feel authentic. When you're watching her performance, you don't get the sense of depth or genuine emotion that's necessary for such a powerful and historical figure. Instead, it feels like she is imitating mannerisms and delivering dialogues without truly inhabiting the character. A performance like this requires nuance and a deep understanding of the person being portrayed, but that nuance is missing here.

I'll admit, I liked the overall camera work. The cinematography has its moments, and there are a few well-composed shots that give the film a polished look. The use of lighting and framing at key moments reflects the technical competence of the crew. However, even the best visuals can't compensate for a weak performance or a poorly written script. The issue lies in the storytelling and the inability to evoke the emotional gravity one would expect from a film about such an influential figure. The visuals alone cannot carry a movie, and that's painfully evident here.

The main problem is that the story lacks conviction. The narrative feels disjointed, and it's as if the filmmakers couldn't decide whether they wanted to focus on Indira Gandhi's political journey, her personal life, or the controversies surrounding her leadership. The result is a storyline that feels shallow and underdeveloped. For cinephiles, this is a major letdown. You go into a film like this expecting a layered, thought-provoking exploration of a complex personality, but what you get instead is a surface-level treatment that fails to do justice to its subject matter.

It's also worth mentioning that the portrayal of Indira Gandhi seems conflicted. On the one hand, it appears that the filmmakers wanted to highlight her strengths and the positive aspects of her leadership. But on the other hand, the lead actress seems like she's struggling to embody those traits convincingly. It almost feels like she doesn't believe in the character she's playing and is only going through the motions because she has to. Whether this is due to the direction, the script, or the actor's own limitations is up for debate, but the result is the same-it just doesn't work.

As a viewer, you can't help but feel that the film is trying to tell two stories at once: one that wants to glorify Indira Gandhi and another that doesn't quite know how to reconcile with her controversial legacy. This lack of clarity makes the film feel scattered and unfocused. There are moments where it seems like the filmmakers are trying to build empathy for her, but those moments are overshadowed by the inability to deliver a cohesive narrative.

The actress has certainly tried, and you can see glimpses of effort in certain scenes. But effort alone doesn't make a performance convincing. Acting is about transformation, about disappearing into the role so completely that the audience forgets they're watching an actor. Unfortunately, that transformation doesn't happen here. Her delivery feels forced, her expressions seem rehearsed, and there's an overall lack of authenticity that keeps you from connecting with her portrayal.

For cinephiles, this movie is hard to watch. If you're someone who appreciates strong performances, compelling narratives, and thought-provoking cinema, you're likely to be disappointed. The film feels like a missed opportunity-an ambitious project that fails to live up to its potential. It could have been a powerful exploration of one of India's most iconic and polarizing leaders, but instead, it ends up being a forgettable attempt that lacks the depth and substance necessary to make an impact.

In the end, while there are a few redeeming qualities, such as the cinematography, they're not enough to save the film. The weak storyline, combined with an unconvincing performance, leaves you feeling underwhelmed. It's a film that tries but doesn't succeed, and for a subject as compelling as Indira Gandhi, that's a real shame.

Emergency 2025 is a film that aspires to be grand but collapses under the weight of its own ambition. The plot is a jumbled mess, riddled with inconsistencies and subplots that go nowhere. It's hard to stay engaged when the pacing is erratic, dragging during unnecessary exposition and rushing through critical moments that should carry emotional weight. The lack of coherence makes the entire movie feel like a chore to watch.

The characters are poorly written, with no depth or development, and the performances lack any conviction. It's as if the cast themselves couldn't connect with the clunky, cliché-ridden dialogue. The visuals, often touted as a highlight in big-budget films, are shockingly underwhelming here. The special effects are dated, and the action sequences are predictable and uninspired, offering no sense of thrill or innovation.

Even the soundtrack fails to enhance the experience, feeling disconnected and forgettable. The film attempts to evoke nostalgia and urgency but comes across as desperate rather than impactful. It misses the mark on delivering either meaningful commentary or genuine entertainment.

Overall, Emergency 2025 is a massive disappointment, squandering its potential and leaving viewers frustrated. If you value your time and money, give this one a miss.

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.

Very poor story. Only achievement is Indira's look.

There is hardly any attempt to put the events leading up to the Emergency in perspective. We miss the Machiavellian leftist side of Indira that she employed in style to crush the Syndicate within the party. The film keeps talking about Gudiya has found a voice but doesn't care to show how. The Green Revolution, nationalisation of banks, and abolition of privy purses don't make it to the script or, for that matter, the failed motto of garibi hatao.

It might not work for those who have learnt their lessons from Whats App after 2014, but those looking to cherry-pick from the past to create an atmosphere for one nation, one leader, and one slogan might find the spectacular symbolism worth emulating.