Hyderabad: Multi-hyphenate Kangana Ranaut's latest directorial venture, Emergency, has received lukewarm responses at the box office. In fact, this is one of her lowest openers to date. The movie hit the theatres on 17 January, after three years of its announcement. For Kangana, much is at stake with Emergency as it is her first film as a solo director. The movie will also prove if she can bring audiences to the cinema halls. In addition to acting and directing, Kangana has also co-produced the film along with Zee Studios and under her production house, Manikarnika Films. Kangana has already claimed that she has put all her personal assets on the line for this project, which has faced many obstacles on its way to the screen.
Emergency Box Office Collection Day 1
Emergency is reported to have made an estimated Rs 2.4 crore on its opening day, hints early estimates industry tracker Sacnilk. The political drama stars Kangana Ranaut as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The film was a national release into 2500 screens. And competing with Azaad, in which Ajay Devgn's nephew Amaan Devgan stars opposite Rasha Thadani, daughter of Raveena Tandon.
Modest Start
While Emergency did not set the box office on fire, it has fared marginally better than some of Kangana's worst-performing movies, such as Tejas and Thalaivii. Kangana had consistently maintained the highest-grossing female-star claim. Her fortunes, however, haven't favoured her lately as they used to during the past years at the box office.
Occupancy
Emergency's overall occupancy on Day 1 was only 19.26%, with 467 shows in Mumbai and 657 shows in the National Capital Region. By comparison, Kangana’s previous films Thalaivii (2021) and Dhaakad had even lower openings, with Dhaakad reportedly earning a mere Rs 50 lakh on its first day. Tejas also opened weakly at Rs 1.25 crore.
Kangana's Box Office Record
Kangana's earlier films had better openings. Katti Batti (2015) raked in Rs 5.3 crore on Day 1, and Rangoon (2017) managed Rs 5.1 crore. Even Simran, which was a commercial disappointment, opened to Rs 2.77 crore. Her 2019 film Manikarnika made a much better debut, with Rs 8.75 crore on opening day. However, Kangana's last major hit remains Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), which grossed Rs 258 crore globally.
A look at performance of Kangana's solo releases since 2019:
| Films | India Net Day 1 |
| Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019) | Rs 8.75 cr |
| Panga (2020) | Rs 2.70 cr |
| Thalaivii (2021) | Rs 1.46 cr |
| Dhaakad (2022) | Rs 1.2 Cr |
| Chandramukhi 2 (2023) | Rs 8.25 cr |
| Tejas (2023) | Rs 1.25 cr |
| Emergency (2024) | Rs 2.4 Cr (Early estimate) |
(Box office data source: Sacnilk)
The Political Drama and Its Controversies
The film takes place in the time of the contentious Emergency implemented by Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977. It covers much of its politics, but protests across Punjab have delayed its release-in Patiala, Amritsar, and Bathinda in particular. The SGPC is among Sikh groups that are urging a ban as the film defames the name of Sikhs and the whole history is portrayed in distorted light.
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.
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 17, 2025
I have utmost respect for all religions and after studying and growing up in Chandigarh I have closely observed and followed Sikh… https://t.co/VQEWMqiFih
In reaction, Kangana took to social media to voice her frustration and called it "harassment of art and the artist." She defended her portrayal, saying, "I have utmost respect for all religions, and after studying in Chandigarh, I have closely observed Sikh culture." Kangana also accused the protests of being part of a larger campaign to damage her reputation and sabotage Emergency's success.
Emergency marks Kangana's solo directorial debut, hence this film is an important milestone in her career. The film features Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, and Mahima Chaudhary in significant roles and is one of the last films of the late Satish Kaushik.
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