Kangana’s ‘Emergency’ faces legal heat over alleged distortion of facts by book’s author

Actor politician Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’ has once again landed in legal trouble. The historical drama, starring Ranaut as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is at the center of a lawsuit filed by senior journalist and author Coomi Kapoor. 

Kapoor has accused Kangana’s production house, Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, and streaming platform Netflix of misusing her name and book, ‘The Emergency: A Personal History’, and of altering historical facts without consent.

According to Kapoor, she had signed a contract with Manikarnika Films and Penguin Random House permitting an adaptation of her book into a feature film. The agreement allowed for creative freedom but included two key conditions, which Kapoor added on her daughter's legal advice–

The author’s name and the book’s title could not be used for promotional purposes.

The filmmakers were prohibited from altering or contradicting publicly known historical facts.

Kapoor alleges that the film opens on Netflix with a disclaimer claiming it is “based on two books” – a violation of the agreement, in her view. She also claimed the use of the title Emergency, which is closely linked to her book’s name, was done deliberately to attract attention.

“The plan was to use only the first chapter and focus on Indira Gandhi,” Kapoor reportedly said, “but the filmmakers went much further, including multiple historical inaccuracies.”

In her legal notice, Kapoor pointed out one such inaccuracy, noting that the Emergency was not lifted until after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi lost the general election in March 1977.

Kapoor stated that she sent a legal notice on April 3 but received no response from Kangana Ranaut’s team or Netflix. She has since moved forward with a lawsuit, claiming the film has caused her serious reputational and professional harm. Kapoor is seeking compensation for emotional distress, legal costs, and professional damage.