Actor Anupam Kher has defended his upcoming film ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, a biopic about former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, after a politician demanded he be shown the film in advance.
Earlier in the day, Satyajeet Tambe Patil, President of the Maharashtra State Youth Congress, sent a letter to the producer of the film demanding a special screening. He raised objections to “incorrect presentation of the facts” in the film, the trailer of which was released on Thursday.
“It’s nobody’s right to ask us to show our film to them before releasing it. The film is based on the book [of the same title], and it is based on facts,” said Kher, who plays Singh in the film.
“We have bought the rights and have followed all the legalities. Everything was in the public domain... Now, how can people have issues? Why should I screen it for anyone? We have shown it to the CBFC [Central Board of Film Certification], that’s enough,” the actor added.
However, he added: “If Dr Manmohan Singh asks us, we will show him for sure.”
Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film also features Akshaye Khanna, Aahana Kumra and Arjun Mathur.
While many Congress members found the film objectionable, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promoted its trailer in social media.
“I have done more than 500 films... there are not even that many political parties. So how can one say that I made this film to support any party?” Kher responded when asked if he is doing the film to extend his support to the BJP.
Asked if this is one of the strategies to make a political statement ahead of the 2019 elections, the Indian National Award-winning actor said: “Why not? What is the problem in releasing a political film around elections? We do release patriotic films on national holidays.”
The film is scheduled to release in India on January 11.
