Kangana Ranaut on who she will play next on screen, Mamata Banerjee or Mayawati
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut will be seen in the role of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in her upcoming film, Emergency.
While the film has been embroiled in controversies for some time now – it is facing backlash from several Sikh groups and not getting a green signal from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) – Kangana, in a new interview on Aap Ki Adalat, spoke about which politician she could play next in a film.
‘I would love to play Mayawati ji’
While speaking about playing the late J Jayalalithaa in Thalaivii (2021), as well as Indira in Emergency, Kangana said, “Mujhe lagta hai mujhe inn mahilayo ka aashirwad hai. Aur ye jo hai chati hai ki main ye karoon. Maine hamesha socha ki Rani Laxmibai ki kahani kitno ne banana ki koshish ki. Lekin who chahti thi ki main banau. Main isko lekar thoda romantic ideas rakhti hoon. Jayalalithaa ne chaha ki Kangana kare, mujhe lagta hai ki Indira Gandhi bhi yehi chahti thi ki main unka role play karoon. Mujhe kabhi ichcha nahi thi ki main Indira Gandhi banu. Aisa laga ki mujhe majboor kiya gaya ho yeh role play karne ke liye (I feel these women chose me to play them onscreen – be it Jayalalithaa, Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi or Indira Gandhi. I never wanted to play Indira Gandhi, but I felt like something forced me to do it).”
When asked who is next on her list, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee or Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati, Kangana laughed and said, “Kalakar ke liye kuch mushkil nahi hai lekin mujhe lagta hai Mayawati ji jo hai (Nothing is impossible for an actor but I feel that Mayawati), as a leader, I would love to play her.”
More about Emergency
The film delves into the life of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who imposed a 21-month emergency period from 1975 to 1977. Kangana essays the role of Indira in the film, which also stars late actor Satish Kaushik, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade and Mahima Chaudhry, among others. It is scheduled to be released on September 6, 2024.
On Friday, Kangana took to social media and posted a video in which she claimed that members of the censor board have been receiving death threats regarding a few scenes in her film. “There are rumours that our film Emergency has got a censor certificate. It is not true. In fact, our film was cleared earlier but its certification has been stopped because of several threats,” Kangana said.
“There is pressure being put on us to remove certain scenes, such as the assassination of Indira Gandhi, the Punjab riots, and more. Now, I don’t know what else to show. What are we supposed to do–blackout the film during these scenes? This is unbelievable to me, and I am deeply sorry for the current state of thinking in this country,” she added.