Mumbai: The upcoming Kangana Ranaut directorial ‘Emergency’, which is based on the life of the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, won’t be released in Bangladesh as the political relationship between the neighboring countries continue to get strained.
The film, which delves into the turbulent period of the Emergency declared in India in 1975 by Indira Gandhi, has found itself at the center of a geopolitical impasse.
A source close to the matter revealed, “The decision to halt the screening of ‘Emergency’ in Bangladesh is tied to the current strained relations between India and Bangladesh. The ban is less about the content of the film and more about the ongoing political dynamics. between the two nations.”
Indira Gandhi played a vital role in the Liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistan even though the USA demanded her not to meddle in the affairs of both the nations. Nevertheless, Indira went ahead as she felt that instead of taking in millions of refugees, India would be economically better off going to war against Pakistan leading to the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971.
With the USA threatening India with a naval offensive by deploying their aircraft destroyers in the Bay of Bengal, India found support in the USSR, as they deployed nuclear-armed submarines and warships. The relationship between India and the USSR continues to grow even long after the collapse of the USSR leading to Russia becoming a major power in the Eastern bloc.
‘Emergency’ highlights the Indian Army and Indira Gandhi’s government role in the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence and the support given to Shaikh Mujibur Rehman who is called the Father of Bangladesh and who called Indira Gandhi as Goddess Durga.
The film also showcases the assassination of Shaikh Mujibur Rehman at the hands of Bangladeshi extremists, factors which are believed to have led to the ban of the film in Bangladesh.
India fought a two front war against West Pakistan, and erstwhile East Pakistan which later became Bangladesh.
In the current era, Bangladesh was India’s sole ally in the subcontinent. However, with the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the equation between both the nations has greatly changed. India now finds itself surrounded by hostile neighbors from all sides including China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and the terrorist government of Taliban in Afghanistan.