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Kangana Ranaut says choosing theatrical release for Emergency was a mistake: ‘Could have gotten a better deal on OTT’

Kangana Ranaut recently acknowledged that opting for a theatrical release instead of a direct-to-OTT premiere for Emergency may have been a mistake.

Kangana Ranaut recently acknowledged that opting for a theatrical release instead of a direct-to-OTT premiere may have been a mistake.

Kangana Ranaut noted that had she chosen the OTT route, Emergency would not have faced the CBFC’s scrutiny. (Image: IMDb)

After enduring numerous controversies and significant delays, Emergency, which marks Kangana Ranaut’s directorial debut and her return to the screen after over a year, is finally set for release. This comes after the makers made the changes suggested by the Central Board of Film Certification’s (CBFC) revising committee. While Kangana is thrilled that the film will soon reach audiences, she recently acknowledged that opting for a theatrical release instead of a direct-to-OTT premiere may have been a mistake. She also noted that had she chosen the OTT route, the film would not have faced the CBFC’s scrutiny.

“I was scared,” Kangana admitted during an interview with News18 when asked about her thoughts during the film’s inordinate delay. “I felt that it was a wrong decision to release it in theatres. I thought I could have gotten a better deal on OTT. I also wouldn’t have had to go through censorship then and my film wouldn’t have been dissected. I didn’t know what all they (the CBFC) would remove and let us keep,” the actor-filmmaker added. It may be mentioned here that the CBFC, a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting led by Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw of Kangana’s BJP, is responsible for film certification in India.

Also Read | Kangana Ranaut opens up about CBFC cuts to Emergency: ‘The film wasn’t made to mock anyone’

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“I felt that I made the wrong choices on many levels: firstly, wanting to direct this film. I took it for granted that even though we don’t have a Congress government… I previously talked about the movie Kissa Kursi Ka. Nobody has seen that film to date and back then, they burnt all the prints. Also, nobody made films about Mrs Gandhi. Upon watching Emergency, today’s generation will be surprised to think how she became like that; after all, she became PM three times. I underestimated things and thought that I would be able to get away by making a film on Emergency,” she added.

“There was a despair but we fought it. We submitted all the documents after facing scrutiny on even small things. A lot of historians and people from various provinces and communities took a look at it and they did not find anything offensive. They also admitted that the movie is stalled illegally. But we have a lot of respect for government bodies and we cooperated with them fully,” she stated.

Also starring Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Ashok Chhabra, Mahima Chaudhry, Milind Soman, Vishak Nair and Satish Kaushik in key roles, Emergency will hit the screens on January 17. Emergency is Kangana’s first movie since the box-office disaster Tejas (2023) and its success is inevitable for the actor whose career hasn’t witnessed a single success in five years.

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