Return Of The Disupter

Neither the censor borard, nor the Congress party is happy about his upcoming movie on the Emergency. What's new, asks Madhur Bhandarkar.

- Priyanka Bhadhani

In the trailer of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar, actor Neil Nitin Mukesh says, “Emergency mein emotion nahi, mere orders chalte hain (During the emergency, emotions do not matter, only my orders do).” His resemblance to Sanjay Gandhi is unmissable. The film, scheduled for release on July 28, hit the headlines after the Congress party voiced its reservations over the portrayal of Indira Gandhi and other leaders in the trailer. On YouTube, the trailer has already racked up more than 56 lakh views.

But, Bhandarkar is not new to such rows. Known for his hard-hitting and realistic films, the Mumbaikar has often made movies against a backdrop of the glam world. This time, he wanted to make something very different. “The Emergency (1975-77) has not been debated in Indian cinema very strongly,” he said. “There have been films that have discussed the period in the backdrop, but a film fully dedicated to the 21-month period has not been made.”

Bhandarkar and Anil Pandey wrote the story and screenplay, while Sanjay Chhel wrote the dialogues. The threesome together placed the protagonist, Indu Sarkar (Kirti Kulhari), against the backdrop of the Emergency. The titles of Bhandarkar’s films—Page 3, Fashion, Jail, Corporate—give away a lot about the premise of the story. Indu Sarkar follows the trend; Indira was fondly called Indu. “Indu is the protagonist’s name and Sarkar is the surname of her husband,” said Bhandarkar. “Hence, Indu Sarkar. But, you can look at it metaphorically.”