Latest news with #TheEmergency:APersonalHistory
Scroll.in
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
In movies based on real events, how far can creators stretch ‘creative liberty'?
'Sometimes you have to forsake accuracy, but you must never forsake truth.' That's how Peter Morgan defended the expansive creative liberties taken in The Crown, the acclaimed Netflix series that he created and scripted. The show tells the story of the British royal family through the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Though the show's creators have clearly said that The Crown is a 'fictional dramatisation … inspired by real events', it has been criticised for inaccuracy. One critic derided it as ' fake history '. The debate about how much creative liberty the creators of dramatised works based on real events can take played out in India this week, as a controversy broke out about actor-director Kangana Ranaut's biopic Emergency about Indira Gandhi. Veteran journalist Coomi Kapoor alleged that distortions and misrepresentations in the film are being blamed on her 2015 book, The Emergency: A Personal History, for which she had signed adaptation rights with Ranaut's Manikarnika Films Private Limited. Kapoor told The Telegraph that the facts about Indira Gandhi's life are in the public domain. ' Don't cite the book and present wrong facts,' she said. Kapoor has sued Manikarnika Films and Netflix for defamation and breach of contract. Responding to the legal notices, Manikarnika Films on April 10 said that the film was based not just Kapoor's book but on other material too. It said that the agreement explicitly allowed for creative liberties 'to make necessary modifications to the subject story and screenplay', reported The Telegraph. The company also said Kapoor had given them 'absolute and complete intellectual property rights'. The case raises questions about the legal rights of authors of non-fiction works when their work is adapted for the screen and how far creative liberty can be taken. Signing a contract for the rights of a non-fiction book does give a filmmaker creative licence – but not to the extent that the screen adaptation is untrue to the source material, said lawyers and an editor at a publishing house. 'Authors have a right against distortion or mutilation of their work if it affects their honour or reputation,' said Nikhil Narendran, a technology and media lawyer and partner at the law firm Trilegal. It is also important to differentiate between dramatisation and completely distorting or twisting of facts, he said. 'A misrepresentation of a fact from a non-fiction work is arguably a distortion,' said Narendran. 'Especially when a movie claims that it is made on a non-fiction book, but distorts facts represented in that book.' Signing away rights Priya Kapoor, editorial director at Roli Books, said that contracts involving screen adaptations can only go so far in protecting the author and their work – unless specific protective clauses are negotiated into the agreement. To protect the reputation of the book, Kapoor said the filmmaker or serial maker is usually asked to add a disclaimer stating that the work is 'based loosely' on a book and that the author or publisher is not liable for creative liberties that have been taken. Lawyer Dushyant Arora said adaptation contracts are fiercely and closely negotiated. 'Some of these contracts not only reserve some sort of a greenlight as far as the script is concerned, sometimes they also reserve rights as far as the casting is concerned,' he said. Coomi Kapoor had signed a tripartite contract with her publisher, Penguin Random House, and Manikarnika Films, according to The Print. The agreement granted the producers 'full artistic licence' but without modifying anything 'not in consonance with historical facts'. It also added that the author's name and book were not to be used to promote the film without her approval. Legal cover Sometimes, filmmakers buy the rights to a non-fiction book to use it as a legal shield if a social or political group takes exception to something shown on screen. More important, basing a show or film on a book adds credibility, even if material about the subject is widely available. 'They need a solid IP [intellectual property], like a book, to underline their entire storymaking,' said Priya Kapoor. Streaming platforms want this too, she said. 'They're saying, where is the research coming from, where are these facts coming from?' she added. 'You can't just put it out there. Put out a book behind it – and pay for it.' But this strategy comes with limitations. '...When you claim that your movie is based on a book, you can't deviate from basic facts presented there, or else you will face claims of mutilations and distortion,' Narendran said. That's what Coomi Kapoor complained about to The Print. She noted that Ranaut's biopic prominently credited her book as the source. 'In order to give credibility to their work, they used my name,' she said. Journalist Sunetra Choudhury, one of the co-authors of Black Warrant, which was published by Lotus Roli Books and turned into a Netflix series, said that she could have asked for riders while selling adaptation rights but the agreement was based on trust as well as familiarity with director Vikram Aditya Motwane's work. 'They had a special screening for us and we were very happy with what they'd done because it was very nuanced,' she said. The limits of creative liberty One of the contentious features of Peter Morgan's approach of blending fact with fiction in The Crown is how he imagines dialogue between characters. Josh O'Connor, who plays Prince William in two seasons, told the BBC that Morgan takes historical facts, or moments in history viewers either remember or have seen footage of, and 'paints in-between those punctuation moments'. Dramatisation is key to making a film or television adaptation of real-life events engaging and entertaining. That is part of the creative licence that filmmakers seek when buying rights to a book, said Narendran. Choudhury said she was pleased that the web series of Black Warrant was true to the book. '...Of course they had to make dialogue and that dialogue is obviously creative liberty but it has the same spirit,' she said. Arora said that in the end, the makers of dramatised series and films based on real events owe their subjects the truth 'because you are profiting off their stories'. He explained: 'It is some sort of an act of documentation.' The Emergency is as much about the excesses of a power-hungry prime minister as it is about powerless citizens whose liberties were abused and whose lives were crushed by the state, he said. 'I think that especially when you're telling stories about power, democracy and the marginalised, you ought to stay as close to the truth,' he said. Here is a summary of the week's top stories. Pahalgam and its aftermath. India and Pakistan fired tit for tat diplomatic salvoes following the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on Tuesday. Twenty-six persons were killed and 17 others were injured in the attack that took place in Anantnag district's Baisaran area. Militants fired at tourists, most of whom were from outside the state. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of the dead were Hindu. India suspended visa services for Pakistani citizens and said all valid visas would be revoked from April 27, except medical visas, which would remain valid until April 29. Pakistani citizens in India under the SAARC visa scheme were given 48 hours to leave. India's Ministry of External Affairs also advised its citizens against travelling to Pakistan and urged those already there to return. India declared Pakistan's defence, military, naval and air advisers in New Delhi persona non grata and said it would withdraw its defence advisers from Islamabad. India also suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty on sharing water from the Indus and its tributaries. Pakistan said this was an 'act of war' and warned that it would respond with 'full force across the complete spectrum of national power'. It also said it would suspend the 1972 Simla Agreement signed with India in the aftermath of the 1971 war. Among other features, the agreement resulted in the recognition of the Line of Control that serves as the de facto boundary between the countries in much of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the punishment meted out by India for the attack will be ' bigger than what the terrorists imagine '. The contentious waqf amendment. The Union government told the Supreme Court that the Waqf Amendment Act does not violate constitutional rights. In an affidavit submitted on Friday, the government argued that the law regulates only secular aspects of waqf property management and steers clear of religious freedoms governed by Article 25 and Article 26 of the Constitution. The amendments, it said, were based on an 'in-depth and analytical study' and aimed at reforming administrative procedures. It also defended the inclusion of non-Muslims on waqf boards, saying these were secular bodies with advisory roles. The government said over 20 lakh hectares had been recorded as waqf land after 2013, alleging misuse of earlier provisions to encroach on private and public land. It opposed a 'blanket stay' on the law and said that legal challenges to it were based on the 'false premise' that it impinged on religious freedoms. The government assured the court it would not denotify waqf properties or appoint new council members before May 5, when the matter will be heard next. Court criticises Ramdev. Patanjali Ayurved founder Ramdev was ordered by the Delhi High Court to remove an advertisement in which he claimed that popular drink Rooh Afza was being used for 'sharbat jihad'. The court said that the comment by the yoga guru was 'indefensible'. Food company Hamdard, which makes the drink, had moved the court seeking the removal of a video. While advertising for a Patanjali product on April 3, Ramdev, without naming Hamdard, claimed that proceeds from its sale were used to construct mosques. He described this as 'sharbat jihad'. While Ramdev defended his remark, arguing that he had not named any company, Justice Amit Bansal said that the comment 'shocks the conscience of court'. The court also directed Ramdev to file an affidavit that he would not repeat such statements. Follow the Scroll channel on WhatsApp for a curated selection of the news that matters throughout the day, and a round-up of major developments in India and around the world every evening. What you won't get: spam.
India Today
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Kangana's Emergency faces legal row over alleged fact distortion by book's author
Actor and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut's recent film 'Emergency' is facing legal scrutiny after senior journalist and author Coomi Kapoor accused the filmmakers of misusing her work and distorting has alleged that Manikarnika Films Private Limited, owned by Ranaut, along with Netflix, has 'intentionally and maliciously distorted facts' and exploited her name by claiming that the film is based on her 2015 book 'The Emergency: A Personal History', published by stated that a tripartite agreement between herself, Penguin and Manikarnika Films regarding the adaptation rights of the book had been 'blatantly breached'. Kapoor further accused the filmmakers of 'multiple factual inaccuracies and misleading portrayals of historical events'.'My daughter is a lawyer, so on her advice, I included two clauses. While the producers had full artistic freedom to create the film, nothing should be altered that contradicts historical facts that are publicly available,' Kapoor explained.'The contract also stated that the author's name and book could not be used for promoting or exploiting the film without prior written consent. I was in Goa and had not seen the film at the time, believing that they would honour the contract. But they are still claiming that the film is based on the book,' she added, noting that she has already sent two legal notices but has not received a also referenced an August 2023 WhatsApp exchange with Kangana Ranaut's brother, Aksht Ranaut of Manikarnika Films, where she stressed that the contract terms must be followed and that while referencing her book in the sources was acceptable, describing the film as 'based on her book' was not. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Netflix India (@netflix_in)Directed and produced by Kangana Ranaut, the film chronicles the Emergency months in India and how people went through has played former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the film, while Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Vishak Nair, Milind Soman and later actor Satish Kaushik featured in pivotal roles. The film was delayed after the Central Bureau of Film Certification (CBFC) withheld certification for several months, before finally giving it a U/A certifcate with a few cuts.'Emergency' was produced by Zee Studios and Manikarnika Watch
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Emergency' lands in legal trouble: Makers of Kangana Ranaut starrer sued by author for 'historical inaccuracies'
Kangana Ranaut 's much-talked-about film 'Emergency' has once again landed in legal historical drama, which stars Ranaut as former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, is now caught in a legal mess after senior journalist and author Coomi Kapoor filed a lawsuit against the makers. As reported by PTI, Kapoor has accused Kangana's production house, Manikarnika Films Private Limited, and streaming platform Netflix of wrongly using her book and name, and of changing historical facts in the film. 'They breached the contract' Coomi Kapoor, who wrote 'The Emergency: A Personal History', claims that she had signed a contract with Manikarnika Films and Penguin Random House allowing the adaptation of her book into a feature film. However, she believes that the agreement has been 'blatantly breached.' According to the agreement, the filmmakers had the right to creatively adapt the content. But there were two important conditions added by Kapoor herself, on her daughter's legal advice. 'My daughter is a lawyer, so on her advice, I had included two clauses. While the producers had full artistic freedom to create the film, nothing should be altered that contradicts historical facts that are publicly available,' Kapoor told PTI. She added, 'The contract also stated that the author's name and book could not be used for promoting or exploiting the film without prior written consent. I was in Goa and had not seen the film at the time, believing that they would honour the contract. But they are still claiming that the film is based on the book.' Film accused of using her name without permission The journalist says she was shocked to see that the title of the film – 'Emergency' – was too close to her book's name. She believes this was done on purpose to gain attention. Kapoor said the original plan was for the film to use only one specific chapter from her book focusing on Indira Gandhi. Instead, the film went much further, she claims, and included 'historical inaccuracies'. 'Factually, the Emergency was not removed till after Mrs Indira Gandhi lost the general election in March 1977,' her legal notice stated. Kapoor also pointed out that the filmmakers did not respond to the legal notices she had sent on 3 April. With no reply from Kangana's team or Netflix, she moved ahead with a formal lawsuit. Seeking compensation for 'damage' Kapoor says the film has caused her serious reputational and professional harm. She's now asking for compensation to cover what she calls emotional, financial and legal damage. As mentioned by PTI, the legal notice read, 'If you fail to comply, our client reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings to seek appropriate remedies for this egregious violation of her rights.' What is the film 'Emergency' about? Released in cinemas on 17 January 2025, 'Emergency' is a political drama set during one of the most controversial periods in Indian history, the 21-month Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi from 1975 to 1977. Kangana Ranaut not only stars in the lead role as Indira Gandhi but also directs and co-produces the film under her banner Manikarnika Films. The cast includes some well-known names like Anupam Kher Shreyas Talpade , Milind Soman , Mahima Chaudhry , and others. Kangana Ranaut stunned by ₹1 lakh electricity bill for Manali home: 'Main rehti bhi nahi hoon'
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
