Kangana's 'Emergency' is not Based on Senior Journalist Coomi Kapoor's book, Inspired only: Manikarnika Films

Film 'Emergency' is based on the 1975-77 Emergency period, when Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency in the country.

New Delhi: Actress-turned-BJP leader Kangana Ranaut's film production company, Manikarnika Films, clarified on October 27, 2025, that their film 'Emergency' is only inspired by, and not entirely based on, senior journalist and author Coomi Kapoor's book 'The Emergency: A Personal History'.

Coomi Kapoor had filed a case against Kangana Ranaut's production company, Manikarnika Films, and streaming platform Netflix in the Delhi High Court in April of this year.

This is the second statement issued by Manikarnika Films on the matter since then. Coomi Kapoor alleges a clear violation of the agreement related to the intellectual property rights of the book for the film's production. The author alleged that her book was misused in the film 'Emergency'. She claimed that Kangana broke the contract and made several factual errors. Historical events were depicted in a misleading way, causing damage to her reputation.

Now, Akshat Ranaut, director of Manikarnika Films, has issued a public notice clarifying the matter. The notice states, “We, Manikarnika Films Private Limited, clarify that it was mistakenly mentioned in the credits of the film ‘Emergency’ that the film is based on Coomi Kapoor’s book ‘The Emergency’. We clarify that the film ‘Emergency’ is only inspired by the aforementioned book and is not based on it in any way.” 

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This film is based on the 1975-77 Emergency period, when then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency in the country. In the film, Emergency, Kangana Ranaut plays the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and is also its co-producer and director. The film was released in theaters on January 17, 2025, and after a disastrous box office run, it started streaming on Netflix from March 14, 2025.

The disclaimer shown at the beginning on Netflix states that the film is inspired by Coomi Kapoor's book 'The Emergency' and Jayant Vasant Sinha's 'Priyadarshini'. It also includes material available in the public domain. Coomi Kapoor strongly objected to this claim. However, the disclaimer on Netflix still states that the film is based on the two books. Kapoor alleged that despite sending two notices, no changes were made to the disclaimer on the Netflix platform.

On April 3, 2025, Coomi Kapoor sent a legal notice to Manikarnika Films and Netflix demanding the removal of the disclaimer and that they cease mentioning her book. When no action was taken even after two notices, Kapoor decided to file a case in the Delhi High Court. Her lawyers stated, "The film deliberately and maliciously distorted the facts, violating our client's rights and damaging her reputation." Kangana's brother, Akshat Ranaut's clarification comes in the wake of an agreement between Manikarnika Films, Kapoor, and Netflix. This agreement was reached following a suggestion from the Delhi High Court.

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Koomi Kapoor's book was published by Penguin in 2015. She claims that the film misrepresented the facts presented in her book. She told a media outlet in April of this year, "I mistakenly gave them permission to use my book because they said they would only use one chapter. But all the chapters were used in the film, and the facts were misrepresented." 

Koomi Kapoor had also stated that Indira Gandhi's life is in the public domain, but misrepresenting facts by citing her book is not acceptable. In 2021, Koomi Kapoor signed a three-way contract with Manikarnika Films and her publisher, Penguin, in which Kangana's brother, Akshat Ranaut, sought permission to use a chapter from her book. This contract had two crucial conditions: firstly, that historical facts would not be distorted in the film, and secondly, that Kapoor's name and her book would not be used for publicity without her written consent.

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Kapoor alleged that Manikarnika Films violated both these conditions. Her complaint mentions six major historical inaccuracies. For example, the film depicts Indira Gandhi personally threatening President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare the Emergency without a cabinet meeting, which is incorrect. Journalist Nikhil Chakraborty is shown being arrested during the Emergency, whereas he was never jailed. Sanjay Gandhi's friend, Akbar Ahmed, is shown as responsible for banning Kishore Kumar's songs on All India Radio, while Kapoor's book attributes this responsibility to the then Information and Broadcasting Minister, V.C. Shukla.

Kapoor claims she was never shown the film's script. Before the film's production was complete, she sent two WhatsApp messages to Kangana's brother, Akshat Ranaut, as he was not responding to her repeated calls. Kapoor says that in 2023, she sent a WhatsApp message to Kangana asking her not to use the word "based on," to which Kangana assured her she would comply, but later disregarded it.

Earlier, on April 10, 2025, Manikarnika Films responded to Koomi Kapoor's notice, claiming that her book was not the sole source and that they had the right to creative freedom.