On Tuesday, veteran actor Anupam Kher tweeted the first poster of his upcoming film, ‘The Accidental Prime Minister‘, based on Sanjaya Baru’s book of the same name. He will portray former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the movie.
CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani expressed his delight over this announcement and was very happy for the actor.
“He’s such a versatile actor. At the age of 28, he had played an old man so brilliantly in Saaransh. I am sure he will do full justice to Manmohan Singhji’s character, though it would have to be more expressions than words. As we all know, Manmohan Singhji hardly speaks. I am sure the dialogue writer would not have much to contribute to the character”, said Nihalani.
Nihalani has, however, warned the characters to follow the elemental guidelines, regarding all films based on real-life characters.
“The makers of The Accidental Prime Minister – producer Sunil Bohra and Ashoke Pandit, would have to get an NOC (No Objection Certificate) from Manmohan Singhji, Sonia Gandhiji and all the other real-life politicians who are part of the narrative. This rule applies without fail. There are no exceptions. And although my current tenure as the CBFC chairperson ends in January 2018 and this film will come up for censorship after that, I am sure the guidelines regarding biopics would remain unchanged”, said the CBFC chairperson.
On being asked whether the film’s team was aware of such guidelines and procedures, Nihalani replied, “I am sure they are. Anupam Kher was himself the CBFC chairperson not too long ago. Ashoke Pandit who considers himself a part of the CBFC is also a part of the film on Manmohan Singhji, and Hansal Mehta who is writing the film claims to be a victim of the censorship guidelines every time his film is on release. I can’t imagine how these people cannot be aware of the ‘NOC’ required for censor clearance of films based on real-life figures.”
