This presentation is about portrayal of Indira Gandhi in the novel 'Midnight's Children as 'Widow' and the legal case registered by Mrs. Gandhi against Salman Rushdie. Katherine Frank , biographer of Indira Gandhi, registers this conflict between the political leader and the writer.

1. Mr. Rushdie
and
Mrs. Gandhi

6. • The film released in February 1975 amidst controversy, as rumors abound that it was
based on the life of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Some of film's posters also hyped the
similarity, with lines like, "See your Prime Minister on screen" and "the story of a great
woman political leader in post-Independence India", were featured in a film magazine.
Eventually, the film was given a go-ahead after it was seen by two staff members and
then Information and Broadcasting minister, I.K. Gujral. After the release, similarity was
seen in the dressing and mannerism of lead Aarti Devi, played by Suchitra Sen and Mrs
Gandhi, including the sarees and streak of white hair. n June State of Emergency was
declared in India by Mrs. Gandhi and on 12 July despite heavy press censorship, The
Statesman managed to carry the headline on its front page, "Screening on Aandhi
banned". Gulzar who had then taken the film to Moscow International Film Festival got
the news of the ban prior to the screening. He was also informed that the film publicity
posters be taken down and the prints sent back.
• Subsequently, while Mausam was being premiered in December 1975, portions of Aandhi
were being reshot. It included the controversial drinking scene and to establish the fact it
was not a biopic, a scene with Aarti Devi looking at the framed image of Indira Gandhi
tells her father that she wants to serve India like Mrs Gandhi, "Woh meri ideal thi" (She is
my ideal) was inserted.[5][30][31] After Indira Gandhi lost the general election of
1977 and Janata Party came to power it was re-released and also shown on the state-run
national television. The film went on to become biggest hit of the Sen's Bollywood career,
of which Aandhi was the last film, though she did two more Bengali films before retiring
from acting in 1978.

7. • #Emergency 25/26 June 1975
• This was one of the rare newspaper advertisement
by Government of India in memory of Emergency.
Emergency is one of the darkest chapters in the
history of Indian Democracy. It should be
remembered forever and also narrated to young
generations as part of their civics lessons in schools.
That's the way that we can keep it away from being
repeated.
• However, what is so uncanny about this
advertisement is that it targets the office of the
President and the Prime Minister of India. This is
rare as one does not quite often see that
Government of India comes out with a nation wide
advertisement, spending public funds, to criticise
high offices of the Government of India.
• Had political party 'A' published such ad against
political party 'B'. there is not आ point of objection.
But a government spends public funds to give an
ad to criticise the high offices of government is
really rare.
• TIMES NOW anchor Navika Kumar tried to grill
Minister of I & B Ravishankar Prasad but the
minister spoke as an activist of the resistance
movement aginst Emergency rather than as the
Minister of the Government.
https://www.timesnownews.com/.../newshour-at-9-
on.../246293

8. • Comprehensive biography of Indira
Gandhi written by Katherine Frank titled
“Indira: The life of Indira Nehru Gandhi“,
in an unforgiving & ruthless style which
was met with widespread criticism from
Congress supporters & leftist thinkers
but nobody has still been able to deny
facts mentioned in the book.
• Their problem with the book was only
because Katherine Frank was blunt in
presenting both sides of Indira. i.e The
positive side, which anyway was being
propagated by state controlled media,
and also the unknown side especially
related to her life before politics which
was hidden from public purview.

9. “Mr. Rushdie and Mrs. Gandhi.”

15. • Frank, Katherine. “Mr. Rushdie and Mrs. Gandhi.” Biography,
vol. 19, no. 3, 1996, pp. 245–258. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/23539764. Accessed 14 July 2021.