New Delhi: 

Veteran journalist and author Coomi Kapoor has decided to sue Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd and Netflix over the film Emergency, directed by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut.

She claims the film distorts history and defames her by misrepresenting the contents of her acclaimed book The Emergency, published by Penguin.

Manikarnika Films respond:

Manikarnika Films responded on 10 April, stating the book was not the only source and that they were allowed creative liberties.

They claim Kapoor granted full intellectual property rights. On its part, Netflix directed Coomi to Zee Entertainment, from whom it licensed the film.

Now, her legal team confirmed plans to file a suit in the Delhi High Court, saying the damage to her reputation is “irretrievable.” Despite two legal notices, the film continues to stream on Netflix with her name prominently displayed.

Why is Coomi Kapoor suing Kangana Ranaut’s production house?

The notice says, “You have intentionally and maliciously distorted facts… and unlawfully exploited her name in association with the said Film.”

It outlines six major historical inaccuracies, including a scene where Indira Gandhi allegedly forces President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed to declare Emergency without consulting the Cabinet. Coomi insists this never happened.

Coomi claims she made multiple attempts to contact the film’s producers during production. When she finally saw the film after its release on Netflix, she was “horrified” to find it credited as based on her book.

She alleges the film’s script was never shared with her, and her requests to remove her name were ignored despite follow-up messages.

Coomi Kapoor, who has held senior editorial positions for over five decades, entered into a tripartite contract in 2021 with Manikarnika Films and Penguin. She agreed to allow her book to be referenced for a chapter on Indira Gandhi.

However, she inserted clauses preventing factual distortion and requiring written approval before using her name for promotional purposes. According to the author, these terms were ignored.

Another error involves the arrest of journalist Nikhil Chakravarty under MISA, which the author says is untrue. She also points to a defamation claim raised by Akbar Ahmed (Dumpy), a close associate of the late Sanjay Gandhi.

In the film, he is wrongly portrayed as involved in banning Kishore Kumar’s songs from All India Radio. She says her book attributes this to the then I&B Minister V.C. Shukla, not Ahmed.

Coomi’s lawyers served a legal notice on 3 April to both the production house and Netflix, citing breach of contract and defamation. The film carries a disclaimer that it is based on her book The Emergency and Jaiyanth Vasanth Sinha’s Priyadarshini. Coomi denies permitting her work to be used in this way.

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