Analysing the Emergency box office debacle: Politics, perception of bias, or delay, what hurt the Kangana Ranaut film

Kangana Ranaut's Emergency has managed to earn just ₹12 crore in 5 days at the box office, cutting a rather sorry figure.

Emergency was to be Kangana Ranaut's magnum opus. This was the first time the actor-director had complete creative control over her film; the subject was a relevant one, and she had strong support cast. Yet, the end result remained less than the sum of its parts. And it's not the critics who are saying that, but the audiences as well. Made on a reported budget of ₹60 crore, Emergency is struggling to reach ₹15 crore even as the first week draws to a close.

Kangana Ranaut plays former PM Indira Gandhi in Emergency.

As the film struggles to make a mark at the box office, the all-important question remains: why did Emergency bomb? The answer may not be straightforward. (

What is Emergency about?

Directed by Kangana herself, the film sees the multiple National Award-winning actor play former PM Indira Gandhiand chronicles the darkest chapters of her tenure, notably the 1975 Emergency. It also stars Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Mahima Chaudhry, Milind Soman, and the late Satish Kaushik.

The delay in release hurt Emergency?

Emergency was initially supposed to be released in October 2023. But close to the release window, it was postponed to June 2024. But after the Lok Sabha elections were announced, the makers again postponed the film to September. On August 30, just a week before the release, Kangana took to social media to claim that the film was being denied a certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification, possibly due to external pressures. The CBFC eventually cleared the film in October, and a new release date - the final one - was announced. An exhibitor says, "The delay meant that the film's buzz died down. People lose interest in something if it's talked about for so long, yet they don't see anything. Bigger films like RRR or Jawan can still sustain the momentum even after delays, but for smaller films, it's tough."

Political biopic is a difficult genre

Trade insiders say that the film had a handicap in its genre - the political biopic. Traditionally, films in this genre have not done well in Hindi cinema despite a proliferation of such films in recent years. Film trade analyst Atul Mohan says, “Nobody has been able to crack the political biopic genre in India. Films on PM Narendra Modi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have not worked. Even Balasaheb Thackeray's biopic only did well in Maharashtra. The audiences have a certain image of statesmen that these films don't seem to align with. On top of that, the content can be often dry, which doesn't bode well for an audience that likes entertainment.”

Did Kangana's politics turn people away?

There is also a theory that many were turned away from the film due to a perception of inherent bias in its storytelling. While the film tries to portray the tenure of PM Indira Gandhi in an objective manner, many could not separate Kangana, the actor, from Kangana, the politician. "Kangana is a BJP MP, who has often spoken negatively about the Gandhi family. So, I didn't think a film directed by her on Indira Gandhi would be fair," says Kashish, a movie buff who did not go for Emergency despite being invested in the story. Atul Mohan adds, "That perception of bias may have harmed the film as people assumed it would be negative, and they did not turn up."