New Delhi: The gimlet-eyed stare. The neatly pleated saris. The aloof demeanour. The clear diction of her speech, be it Hindi, English or even French. And the iconic streak of white hair. Put it all together and Indira Gandhi becomes the sum of her many parts—on screen.
With her new movie Emergency, Kangana Ranaut joins Suchitra Sen, Lara Dutta and Fatima Sana Shaikh among other actors who’ve played the role of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
Kangana Ranaut’s directorial venture stormed theatres on Friday, and the reception has been as divided as recent Parliament debates.
While some fans are busy showering her with praise, dubbing her transformation as “picture perfect”, others aren’t holding back their punches. The pro-Ranaut camp insists she nailed the essence of a strong-willed leader with depth and nuance. But her critics find the acting subpar, lacking the gravitas of Gandhi.
Style-wise, Ranaut went all out to channel her inner Indira. From French chiffon sarees and khadi blouses to those iconic big sunglasses, the shawl drape, and even that famous streak of white in her hair—it’s all there.
Costume designer Sheetal Sharma (of Pushpa 2 and Baby John fame) brought the wardrobe game, while Dennis Malinowski, the Oscar-winning prosthetics and makeup artist, worked his magic to recreate Gandhi’s features.
Of course, her performance has ignited the inevitable comparison game. There were other Indira Gandhis before Ranaut. Here’s how they measure up.
Suchitra Sen – Aandhi (1975)
Although Aandhi was presented as a fictional story, it was impossible for audiences not to see its uncanny parallels with Indira Gandhi’s life. Suchitra Sen played Aarti Devi, a politician balancing power and personal life. But, any strong female leader in film–especially at the time–inevitably became synonymous with Gandhi.
Adding fuel to the fire, Sen’s styling was unmistakably Gandhi-esque—the signature saree drape, the distinct hairstyle—it left little room for imagination. Directed by Gulzar, Aandhi initially enjoyed great success, running for 24 weeks in theatres. But in 1975, the government decided that the film could sway public opinion ahead of the general elections, leading to its controversial ban. After Gandhi lost the election after the Emergency, the film was screened on Doordarshan in 1977, marking the lifting of its ban.
Sarita Choudhury – Midnight’s Children (2012)
In the adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children, British actor Sarita Choudhury played a character heavily modelled on Indira Gandhi, known simply as ‘The Widow’. As described by one of the critics, Choudhury as the Prime Minister in the film was accused of violating the concept of a free society, making it an obvious reference to Gandhi. Her performance captured her authoritarian streak during the Emergency years.
Supriya Vinod – Indu Sarkar (2017)
Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar is a story of a housewife who couldn’t unsee the horror of Emergency as police lathi-charged residents of a slum in Delhi. Actor Supriya Vinod, who played the former prime minister, captured her during one of the most debated periods in Indian politics. It’s a nuanced performance—one that has aged well. Vinod was so convincing in the portrayal, that she went on to play the same role in two 2019 Telugu biopics—based on the life of N T Rama Rao—NTR: Kathanayakudu and NTR: Mahanayakudu.
Lara Dutta – Bell Bottom (2021)
Lara Dutta’s striking transformation into Indira Gandhi was a “surprise element” in Akshay Kumar’s Bell Bottom. Despite the limited screen time, her portrayal focused on Gandhi’s role in addressing the 1984 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight. The actor was unrecognisable in the get-up and fans went gaga over it, with many demanding a raise for the makeup artist. From face structure to wrinkles – the attention to detail was top-notch.
OMG.. she is #LaraDutta 😳 unrecognisable.. amazing #BellBottom pic.twitter.com/U2oxRnRXIq
— Niilam Paanchal (@niilampaanchal) August 3, 2021
However, critics weren’t impressed. In his review, Saibal Chatterjee wrote, “The elaborate make-up and the salt-and-pepper hairdo turn Lara Dutta into a stony, expressionless woman who is neither herself nor Mrs. Gandhi.”
Fatima Sana Shaikh – Sam Bahadur (2023)
The actor portrayed Indira Gandhi in Vicky Kaushal’s hit film Sam Bahadur. Unfortunately, she neither managed to impress fans nor critics.
Critics found Shaikh’s performance “uneven.” One said that the actor looked more like Priyanka Gandhi than Indira Gandhi.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)