Latest news with #ManikarnikaFilmsPvtLtd
Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Kangana Ranaut's film company and Netflix sued by senior journalist and author for historical inaccuracies in their film, Emergency
Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, a company owned by actor Kangana Ranaut's family, and streaming platform Netflix is being sued by senior journalist and author of the book The Emergency: A Personal History, Coomi Kapoor, for an alleged breach of contract and damaging her reputation. Kapoor filed the lawsuit after she received no response to the legal notices she sent Ranaut's company and Netflix on April 3. The film, Emergency, directed and co-produced by Kangana, has the actor in the role of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The film opens with the disclaimer that 'the film is inspired by the book The Emergency, and Priyadarshini by Jaiyanth Vasanth Sinha', apart from materials available in the public domain. However, at the end of the disclaimer on Netflix, it says the film is 'based on' the two books. Despite the legal notice to the production house, the disclaimer has not been modified on the Netflix platform. 'The damage caused to my reputation as a journalist and author is irretrievable,' says Kapoor, contributing editor, The Indian Express. Kapoor's book, The Emergency, published by Penguin in 2015, is an account of her experiences and research of the turbulent 21 months since June 1975. According to Kapoor, Kangana's brother, Aksht Ranaut, who represented Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, met her in Mumbai in 2021 and sought permission to buy the rights of her book for their film to draw from a chapter that dealt specifically with Indira Gandhi. Kapoor then signed a tripartite contract with Manikarnika Films and Penguin. However, on her lawyer's advice she included two clauses, which said that while the producers have full artistic licence in making the film, nothing should be modified that was not in consonance with historical facts. The contract also stipulated that the author's name and the book should not be used for promoting the film without her prior approval. Kapoor says she was never shown the film's script. Even before the film's production was completed, she sent Aksht two WhatsApp messages after he did not respond to her repeated phone calls. Kapoor says she was travelling when the film was released in theatres (on January 17) and watched it for the first time when it released on Netflix (on March 17). Among the people who complained to Kapoor about the inaccuracies in the film was Akbar Ahmad (Dumpy), a friend of late Sanjay Gandhi. In the film, Ahmad is shown as the person behind the ban on Kishore Kumar 's songs on All India Radio. Her book, says Kapoor, clearly mentions that it was then Information and Broadcasting Minister VC Shukla who was behind the ban. The Indian Express contacted the Netflix India team, Manikarnika Films and Aksht for their reaction but they have yet to reply. The article will be updated when we receive their response.
Mint
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Kangana Ranaut and brother Aksht receive notice for ‘historical inaccuracies' in Emergency, exploiting author and book
Kangana Ranaut has landed in a new controversy for her last release, Emergency. Veteran journalist and author Coomi Kapoor has filed a lawsuit against Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd and streaming platform Netflix, accusing them of breaching their contract and damaging her reputation by claiming that Kangana's film is based on her book, The Emergency: A Personal History. The author claimed that Emergency is filled with 'historical inaccuracies" for which her book is being held responsible. She also expressed that the film's distorted portrayal has led to breach of trust. Kapoor sent notices to Kangana and her brother Aksht Ranaut, the producer of Emegency, in the matter earlier this month. 'I phoned Kangana Ranaut's brother, Aksht Ranaut, who is the producer. But have received no response till this morning. This could have easily been avoided if the script writer had even done a cursory reading of the book in which the accurate data is given,' said Kapoor to ThePrint on Tuesday. The author said that Aksht Ranaut met her in Mumbai in 2021 to buy the rights of her book to utilise a single chapter focused on Indira Gandhi. She signed a 'tripartite contract' with Manikarnika Films and Penguin, which included two key clauses in the contract. She maintains the clauses were breached. According to Kapoor, the contract clearly mentioned that her name and book couldn't be used for promotion or publicity without her written permission. While the producers are entitled to artistic freedom, Kapoor said that 'no details should be altered if they don't align with well-documented historical facts already available in the public domain.' 'I had specifically told them to not use the term 'based on' but they still did,' Kapoor said. She further claimed that she was never shown the film script. She reportedly noticed that Emergency credited her book as its source only after its release on Netflix. 'When the film was released I checked the media articles and they all said 'inspired' so I was fine. But, when I recently watched it on Netflix, it read 'based on' towards the end. In order to give credibility to their work, they used my name,' Kapoor said. Currently, Emergency, streaming on Netflix, comes with a disclaimer which reads: 'The film is inspired by the book 'The Emergency' by Coomi Kapoor and 'Priyadarshani' by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.' However, the last line of the disclaimer also says in bold: "'The film "Emergency" is based on the books 'The Emergency' by Coomi Kapoor and 'Priyadarshani' by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.' Coomi Kapoor's The Emergency was published by Penguin in 2015 and offered a detailed account of the 1975-77 Emergency period. Kapoor claimed several inaccuracies in Emergency, including wrongly showing Akbar Ahmed as the one who banned Kishore Kumar's songs - a decision she attributed in her book to then I&B Minister V.C. Shukla. She said that Ahmed himself confronted her about it after watching Emergency. 'I had to explain that my book never made such a claim,' she said. She also added, 'He wasn't the only one. Many people have called me saying, 'what have you written in the book?'." Other errors include depiction journalist Nikhil Chakravarty's imprisonment and misrepresenting the Emergency's timeline. Netflix and Manikarnika Films are yet to respond to legal notices, updated the author. First Published: 22 Apr 2025, 04:09 PM IST
New Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Author threatens to sue ‘Emergency' producer over ‘breach of contract'
NEW DELHI: Coomi Kapoor, a noted journalist and author of the book — The Emergency — has decided to take legal action against the producer of movie 'Emergency' (Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, a company owned by the family of actress turned politician Kangana Ranaut) and over-the-top (OTT) streaming service provider Netflix for alleged breach of contract, causing damage to her reputation. Kapoor said the Kangana-Anupam Kher starrer film has inaccuracies and despite her assertion attribution—'based on Coomi Kapoor's book; The Emergency'— has not been removed from the version of the movie on Netflix. She had conveyed her grievances to Aksht Ranaut, a representative of Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, however, they remained unanswered. 'I sent two legal notices. Inaccuracies in the film were mentioned in the notices however no proper reply was given. So I have decided to move Delhi High Court to initiate action against the producers and Netflix,' Kapoor said. According to Kapoor, Aksht sought permission to buy the rights of her book when she met him in Mumbai in 2021. She further stated that subsequently, a tripartite contract was signed by Manikarnika Films, the publisher of the book and herself. The contract stipulated that the author's name and book should not be used for promoting or exploiting the film without the prior approval of the author in writing, she added. The film script was not shown to her, Kapoor also alleged. Despite attempts to seek their versions, no immediate response was available from Kangana, Akshat, Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd and Netflix. OTT platform sources, however, said that the film is a licensed production and it was not originally produced by Netflix. Kapoor also said that apprehending that the film might be at variance with the book, even before the film was completed, she sent Aksht two WhatsApp messages, since he had not answered her phone calls.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Author to sue Kangana's firm over ‘Emergency' adaptation
Veteran journalist and author Coomi Kapoor said on Monday she will file a lawsuit against Manikarnika Films Pvt Ltd, a production company owned by actor Kangana Ranaut's family, and streaming platform Netflix, accusing them of contractual breaches and tarnishing her reputation by saying their film Emergency is 'based on' her book The Emergency: A Personal History. Kapoor, whose 2015 book chronicles the 1975–77 Emergency era, alleged the film contains 'glaring historical inaccuracies' that contradict her work, mislead viewers and damage her credibility as a scholar and writer. HT reached out to Netflix and Manikarnika Films but the two had not responded till the time of going to press. Kapoor said in 2021, Ranaut's brother, Aksht Ranaut of Manikarnika Films, approached her for the rights to adapt a single chapter from her book focused on Indira Gandhi. A tripartite agreement was signed between Kapoor, Penguin (the publisher), and the production house, with Kapoor's lawyers inserting clauses to protect her work, the writer said. The contract mandated that the film's content align with 'historical facts in the public domain' and barred the use of Kapoor's name or book title for promotion without her written consent. Despite this, Kapoor said, she was never consulted on the script and discovered only after the film's Netflix release on March 17 that it prominently credited her book as its basis. The movie's disclaimer on Netflix said, 'The film is inspired by the book 'The Emergency' by Coomi Kapoor and 'Priyadarshani' by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.' The disclaimer then towards the end says, 'The film 'Emergency' is based on the books 'The Emergency' by Coomi Kapoor and 'Priyadarshani' by Jaiyanth Vasant Shinde.' Kapoor said she messaged Ranaut on WhatsApp in 2023 to insist the term 'based on' not be used. Ranaut assured compliance but never shared the script or responded to follow-ups, the writer said. When the film was initially released in theatres in January 17, Kapoor said, she was travelling and relied on reviews that noted a disclaimer about being 'inspired by' her book. Later, when she watched the Netflix version, Kapoor said, she discovered the claim of it being 'based on' her work. 'They ignored everything I wrote and presented rubbish,' Kapoor said. Among the inaccuracies she highlighted is the film's portrayal of Akbar Ahmed, a friend of Sanjay Gandhi, as being blamed for banning Kishore Kumar's songs on All India Radio. Kapoor's book explicitly identified then information and broadcasting minister VC Shukla as responsible, a detail Ahmed confronted her about after watching the film, the writer said. 'I had to explain my book never made those claims,' she said. Other errors include falsely depicting journalist Nikhil Chakravarty — who was never jailed during the Emergency — as being imprisoned, and conflating timelines around the Emergency's revocation and 1977 elections, according to Kapoor. Legal notices sent to Netflix and Manikarnika earlier this month demanding the removal of the 'based on' credit went unheeded, prompting the lawsuit, Kapoor said, adding that the film's errors are not merely artistic licence but a breach of trust The lawsuit will seek damages and the removal of all references to her book from the film's promotional material. 'This isn't just about legalities,' she said. 'It's about preserving historical truth and the integrity of my life's work.'
