'Emergency' review: Kangana struggles to save disjointed, flat film
What's the story
Emergency, directed by Kangana Ranaut, stars her as former PM Indira Gandhi, with Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, and the late Satish Kaushik in supporting roles.
It starts in 1929 and covers the central aspects of Gandhi's political career till her assassination in 1984.
Despite the strength of its ensemble, Emergency is bloated and bland and the lack of nuance makes it a sub-par product.
Story
Covers several important episodes of Gandhi's career
The first scene sets the stage for what will follow in the film, with a young Gandhi talking to her grandfather Motilal Nehru about "satta" and politics.
Emergency captures the 1962 Indo-China War, the 1971 India-Pakistan War, and the Emergency imposed by Gandhi between 1975 and 1977, among other important episodes of India's history.
Talpade plays Atal Bihari Vajpayee, while Kher essays Jayaprakash Narayan.
#1
The film is in a bizarre rush
The film cannot always decide which scenes should be given more prominence and which ones should be briefly mentioned.
This hurts the film terribly, and the entire first half feels extremely rushed, leaving you with a confused, exasperated feeling.
Ranaut's decision to paint the film in broad strokes and hurriedly jump from one episode to the next makes it difficult to stay invested.
#2
The dialogues, too, aren't up to the mark
The sloppy dialogues are another reason why it's tough to submit yourself to the film completely.
Some dialogues seem too modern and contemporary, like when Gandhi tells her husband Feroze, "Don't be a typical husband," while others, like "Raajneeti me sirf ek hi baat galat hai, aur wo hai haar jaana," seem better suited for a political speech than a normal conversation.
#3
Nearly all supporting characters are wasted
Another aspect that punctures the film is that Ranaut and the writing team haven't given the supporting characters much to work with.
So, we keep waiting for them to become central to the narrative, but when they finally do, it's too little, too late.
They are lent next to no personality, and contextual information about each one of them is sorely amiss.
#4
Makes some odd, confusing narrative choices
The film's scattershot narrative makes it extremely overbearing, and we always remain at a distance from the film.
Oddly enough, at one point, all the characters briefly break into a song, as if this were not a serious drama but a musical!
In another scene, the Pokran Test (1974) is labeled a "distraction" meant to create "sensation" in India.
Emergency, thus, repeatedly confuses you.
#5
Ranaut impresses in some scenes, disappoints in others
While Ranaut tries her best and completely looks the part (the makeup and prosthetics departments have outdone themselves), you can't help but feel that she is putting on an "act," playing someone several years older than her.
While her portrayal improves as the film goes on, in the first few scenes, I tried looking for Gandhi, but alas, I only found Ranaut.
#6
Milind Soman shines among the supporting cast
Among the supporting cast, it is Milind Soman as Sam Manekshaw who is easily a show-stealer.
He only has a cameo but is terrific in this tailor-made role that accentuates his artistic caliber.
With his commanding voice and gait, he is perfectly cast in this crucial role.
If only Mahima Chaudhry, Talpade, Kher, and Kaushik were given better-written parts, too.
#7
It doesn't completely utilize its potential
The film shows strong flickers of potential every now and then, and in those moments, you become drawn to the world created by Ranaut, but unfortunately, everything fizzles out too soon.
While Sanjay Gandhi (played by Vishak Nair) gets a meaty mention, Feroze and Rajiv are completely sidelined, and in several scenes, the film misses a chance to delve deeper into Gandhi's personal life.
Verdict
Can skip in theaters, watch on OTT; 2/5 stars
The second half features some of the film's better parts, and the assassination scene at the end, particularly, is engaging, chilling, and immersive.
Unfortunately, the same praise cannot be bestowed upon the rest of the film, and the confused, wayward movie suffers heavily due to the lack of nuance and subtlety.
Ranaut tries, but she cannot salvage this disjointed project.
2/5 stars.