Agreed to cuts suggested by CBFC for ‘Emergency’; certificate can be issued: Zee Entertainment to HC

Mumbai: Zee Entertainment Enterprises, co-producer of Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Emergency’ film, on Friday told the Bombay High Court it has agreed to the cuts suggested by the censor board.

Senior counsel Sharan Jagtiani, who represented Zee, said the necessary cuts would be made and the film would be submitted to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for issuance of its certificate.

Senior counsel Abhinav Chandrachud, appearing for the CBFC, said once the film is submitted after the cuts, the same would be verified and a certificate would be issued in two weeks.

A division bench of Justices B P Colabawalla and Firdosh Pooniwalla accepted the statements and disposed of the petition filed by Zee Entertainment.

The court said it would pass a detailed order later.

“We have worked it out,” Jagtiani told the court.

The movie, initially slated for a September 6 release, has been embroiled in a battle with the censor board for non-issuance of the CBFC certificate.

Last week, the CBFC told HC that the movie could be released if certain cuts were made as decided by the board’s revising committee.

Earlier this week, the bench was informed by the censor board that Ranaut’s production company Manikarnika, co-producer of the movie, had agreed to the cuts.

Co-producer Zee Entertainment had moved the HC seeking direction to the CBFC to issue a certificate for the film, helmed by Ranaut, also a BJP MP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

The biographical drama is caught up in controversy after Sikh organisations including the Shiromani Akali Dal objected, accusing it of misrepresenting the community and getting historical facts wrong.

Zee Entertainment had in its plea claimed that the CBFC had already made the certificate for the movie but was not issuing it.

Ranaut, who has directed and co-produced the film besides playing the lead role of former prime minister late Indira Gandhi, had accused the CBFC of stalling the movie's certification to delay its release.

Zee Entertainment had also alleged that the certificate was being withheld for political reasons and due to the upcoming elections in Haryana.

The bench had then wondered as to why the ruling party (BJP) would act against Ranaut, who was herself a BJP MP.