The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Friday held protests outside cinemas at many places in Punjab against the release of Kangana Ranaut's Emergency, resulting in the film not being released in most places in the state.

The Bollywood star said the Sikh body’s demand for a ban on Emergency and the film’s restricted screenings in parts of Punjab was a complete harassment of “art and the artiste”.

The film, which has Ranaut playing former prime minister Indira Gandhi, focuses on the 21 months of Emergency from 1975 to 1977.

The political drama, amid controversy over its censor certificate and allegations that it misrepresents the Sikh community, was released across the country on Friday after several delays.

Many cinemas in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda did not screen the movie. Police were deployed outside malls and cinemas in the state.

In Amritsar, protesters carried black flags and placards saying "Emergency should be banned" and "Boycott Emergency movie."

On Thursday, SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami wrote to Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann demanding a ban on the movie.

If the film is released in Punjab, it would spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state, he wrote.

"We spoke with the central government and the Punjab government to stop the release of the movie but no action was taken...," the SGPC's Partap Singh told PTI, adding that they had gathered to stop the release because the film has been made to disturb the peace of Punjab.

"Sikh characters are portrayed objectionably," he added.

Ranaut, a BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Mandi, said in a post on X: "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… I have utmost respect for all religions and after studying and growing up in Chandigarh, I have closely observed and followed Sikh religion. This is a complete lie and propaganda to tarnish my image and harm my film #Emergency."

The 38-year-old actor-director was reacting to a post by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who supported the call for a ban on the film, saying that Ranaut is a known critic of "farmers & Sikhs without knowing their contribution towards our country".

"SGPC is our elected representative body and @BhagwantMann should take immediate steps to ban the film that depicts Sikhs in bad light and brings defamation to our state of Punjab and its people," he said.

"Ranaut is an MP from the BJP, and the responsibility of an MP is significant. He or she should work to bring everyone in society together, but instead, she is creating divisions...," said another SGPC member, Kulwant Singh Manan.

Similar scenes played out in Mohali.

"The film has been made to insult the entire Sikh community. We will not let the movie release in Mohali or anywhere in Punjab. The SGPC is united in this matter," said Rajinder Singh Tohra, a member of the SGPC.

The SGPC has also submitted memorandums to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.

In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the film's producers, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.