Chandigarh, 17 Jan

Kangana Ranaut's "Emergency" was not screened at most cinemas in Punjab on Friday following protests by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh organisations against the movie.

The SGPC and several Sikh organisations held demonstrations outside cinemas and the malls at many places in Punjab against the movie.

Ranaut, who has directed, written and produced the political drama, has decried SGPC's demand for a ban on "Emergency" and said the film’s restricted screenings in parts of Punjab is a complete harassment of “art and the artist”.

The film, which sees Ranaut playing the role of former prime minister Indira Gandhi, focuses on 21 months of Emergency from 1975 to 1977. The movie, in controversy over its censor certificate and allegations that it misrepresents the Sikh community, was released across the country on Friday after several delays.

Most cinemas in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Bathinda did not screen the movie. Police force was deployed outside the malls and cinemas in the state.

  In Amritsar, for instance, protesters including women were seen carrying black flags and placards saying "Emergency should be banned" and "Boycott Emergency movie".

"We spoke with the Central government and the Punjab government to stop the release of the movie but no action was taken...," SGPC's Partap Singh told PTI, adding that they had gathered to stop the release because the film had been made to disturb the peace of Punjab.

"Sikh characters are portrayed objectionably," he added.

"Ranaut is an MP from the BJP, and the responsibility of an MP is significant. He or she should work to bring everyone in society together, but instead, she is creating divisions...," said another SGPC member, Kulwant Singh Manan.

Similar scenes played out in Mohali.

"The film has been made to insult the entire Sikh community. We will not let the movie release in Mohali or anywhere in Punjab. The SGPC is united in this matter," said Rajinder Singh Tohra, a member of the SGPC.

Members of a Sikh organisation in Jalandhar said they will not allow this movie to be screened anywhere in Punjab.

In Ludhiana, the movie was set to be screened in four theatres, said, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shivam Aggarwal.

However, after receiving objections from some Sikh organisations, the cinema owners decided not to screen the movie, he said.

In Hoshiarpur, workers of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) visited various cinemas in the district, urging their management not to screen the movie.

On Thursday, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann demanding a ban on the movie.

Ranaut, a BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, reacted to the calls for ban on "Emergency" in a post on X.

"This is complete harassment of art and the artist, from Punjab many cities are reporting that these people are not allowing Emergency to be screened.

"I have utmost respect for all religions and after studying and growing up in Chandigarh, I have closely observed and followed Sikh religion. This is a complete lie and propaganda to tarnish my image and harm my film #Emergency," she said.

The 38-year-old actor-director was reacting to a post by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who supported the call for a ban on "Emergency".

Khaira said Ranaut is a known critic of "farmers & Sikhs without knowing their contribution towards our country".

"SGPC is our elected representative body and @BhagwantMann should take immediate steps to ban the film that depicts Sikhs in bad light and brings defamation to our state of Punjab and its people," he added.

The SGPC has also submitted memorandums to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.

In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the film's producers, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.