The Politics of the Celluloid Throne: A Critical Study of Kissa Kursi Ka (1978)
Author
Bhawna Bhatt, Dr. Pankaj Kumar
Abstract
Kissa Kursi Ka (1978) by Amrit Nahata is one of the most politically charged and vilified films in Indian movie history. The film, which was conceived on the eve of the 1975 Indian Emergency, employed scathing political satire to mock the growing crony capitalism, political sycophancy, and authoritarianism surrounding Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son, Sanjay Gandhi. The film's thematic architecture, its symbolic portrayal of Indian citizens, the extraordinary extra-legal destruction of its original master prints, and its lasting legacy as a warning about state censorship and freedom of expression in a democracy are all critically examined in this essay.
Keywords
Kissa Kursi Ka (1978), Amrit NahataPolitical, satire in cinemaIndian, political spoofsHindi, parallel cinema
Full Text:
Download Paper PDF
References
Rothrock. (2024, February 14). Kissa Kursi Ka and the grain of truth behind the last 70 years narrative. WordPress. https://rothrocks.wordpress.com/2024/02/14/kissa-kursi-ka-and-the-grain-of-truth-behind-the-last-70-years-narrative/
Shedde, M. (2015, July 18). Risking life and liberty. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/meenakshi-shedde-looks-at-how-filmmakers-responded-to-the-emergency-with-hardhitting-cinema/article7429522.ece
Bright, J. S. (1979). Allahabad High Court to Shah Commission. Deep & Deep Publications.
Ramnath, N. (2015, January 27). The story behind the controversial film 'Kissa Kursi Ka', which was banned during the Emergency. Scroll.in. https://scroll.in/reel/702429/the-story-behind-the-controversial-film-kissa-kursi-ka-which-was-banned-during-the-emergency
Ahluwalia, A. (2025, Feb 28). The 1978 Satirical Film 'Kissa Kursi Ka' Underlines How Little Things Have Changed. Homegrown. https://homegrown.co.in/homegrown-creators/the-1978-satirical-film-kissa-kursi-ka-underlines-how-little-things-have-changed
Mishra, S. (2020). "Celluloid and the State: Censorship during the Indian Emergency." Journal of South Asian Cinema.
Rajadhyaksha, A., & Willemen, P. (1999). Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema. British Film Institute.
Share your valuable work from Social Media Buttons