Author to sue Kangana’s firm over ‘Emergency’ adaptation
Coomi Kapoor alleged the film contains “glaring historical inaccuracies” that contradict her work, mislead viewers and damage her credibility.
Veteran journalist and author Coomi Kapoor said on Monday she will file a lawsuit against Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, a production company owned by actor Kangana Ranaut’s family, and streaming platform Netflix, accusing them of contractual breaches and tarnishing her reputation by saying their film Emergency is “based on” her book The Emergency: A Personal History.
Kapoor, whose 2015 book chronicles the 1975–77 Emergency era, alleged the film contains “glaring historical inaccuracies” that contradict her work, mislead viewers and damage her credibility as a scholar and writer. HT reached out to Netflix and Manikarnika Films but the two had not responded till the time of going to press.
Kapoor said in 2021, Ranaut’s brother, Aksht Ranaut of Manikarnika Films, approached her for the rights to adapt a single chapter from her book focused on Indira Gandhi. A tripartite agreement was signed between Kapoor, Penguin (the publisher), and the production house, with Kapoor’s lawyers inserting clauses to protect her work, the writer said. The contract mandated that the film’s content align with “historical facts in the public domain” and barred the use of Kapoor’s name or book title for promotion without her written consent. Despite this, Kapoor said, she was never consulted on the script and discovered only after the film’s Netflix release on March 17 that it prominently credited her book as its basis.
The movie’s disclaimer on Netflix said, “The film is inspired by the book ‘The Emergency’ by Coomi Kapoor and ‘Priyadarshani’ by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.” The disclaimer then towards the end says, “The film ‘Emergency’ is based on the books “The Emergency” by Coomi Kapoor and “Priyadarshani” by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.”
Kapoor said she messaged Ranaut on WhatsApp in 2023 to insist the term “based on” not be used. Ranaut assured compliance but never shared the script or responded to follow-ups, the writer said. When the film was initially released in theatres in January 17, Kapoor said, she was travelling and relied on reviews that noted a disclaimer about being “inspired by” her book. Later, when she watched the Netflix version, Kapoor said, she discovered the claim of it being “based on” her work. “They ignored everything I wrote and presented rubbish,” Kapoor said.
Among the inaccuracies she highlighted is the film’s portrayal of Akbar Ahmed, a friend of Sanjay Gandhi, as being blamed for banning Kishore Kumar’s songs on All India Radio. Kapoor’s book explicitly identified then information and broadcasting minister VC Shukla as responsible, a detail Ahmed confronted her about after watching the film, the writer said. “I had to explain my book never made those claims,” she said. Other errors include falsely depicting journalist Nikhil Chakravarty — who was never jailed during the Emergency — as being imprisoned, and conflating timelines around the Emergency’s revocation and 1977 elections, according to Kapoor.
Legal notices sent to Netflix and Manikarnika earlier this month demanding the removal of the “based on” credit went unheeded, prompting the lawsuit, Kapoor said, adding that the film’s errors are not merely artistic licence but a breach of trust
The lawsuit will seek damages and the removal of all references to her book from the film’s promotional material. “This isn’t just about legalities,” she said. “It’s about preserving historical truth and the integrity of my life’s work.”
An industry representative told HT on condition of anonymity that Netflix has no role to play as it is a distributor and not the producer. "Any licensing issue is between the production house and the author," the representative said.
