Ahead of Emergency, Kangana Ranaut says Indira Gandhi’s decisions didn’t come from a ‘mature space’: ‘A place of ego’

Kangana Ranaut, who will soon be seen playing the role of former PM Indira Gandhi in Emergency, recently said that Gandhi came from a “privileged, nepotistic” background but was determined to prove herself. The film, which mainly focuses on the Emergency years, has been directed by Ranaut. When asked about the qualities that Kangana liked about Indira, and the one she did not appreciate, Kangana said that Indira Gandhi’s struggles were “manufactured.”

She shared with Bollywood Hungama, “One thing that I really liked about her was that, yes she was privileged, she was coming from a nepotism background, after all she was the PM’s daughter, she held official positions during her father’s term, I mean, what more privilege can one get in politics? She was coming from a privileged space but she had the determination that I have to prove myself. That determination was worth applauding. She might have gotten a lot of privileges but whenever she was criticised, she proved herself and she came out a complete winner.”

Kangana then opened up about the things about Gandhi that she did not like and implied that the former PM did not have the maturity to handle her position. “The negative thing… someone’s manufactured struggle can’t be real. The fact that she didn’t face any natural struggle in her life and her dealing with it was not coming from a mature space, it still came from a space where she was thinking like the PM’s daughter. That was not a good thing. Because when you are in that chair, you need to be selfless. You can’t operate from a place of ego,” she said.

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The trailer of Emergency hinted that the film will show Indira’s journey in politics – from her early years in her father’s cabinet to the Emergency years to her assassination. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Satish Shah, Shreyas Talpade, Mahima Choudhary, among others.

Emergency releases in theatres on September 6.