Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Congress has denied reports that it won't allow Anupam Kher-starrer 'The Accidental Prime Minister' to be released in the state as it shows former PM Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family in poor light.
MP Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja said there was no ban or any demand for it either, and the party would not even protest against it as it does not want to give it unnecessary publicity. "The film is so lowdown that we don't even want to discuss it," he said. The party's national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also denied that there was a meeting held to decide if a ban was needed.
The clarifications came after party leader Syed Zafar warned that he would not allow the film to be screened unless it is showed to the party before its release.
The movie, based on the eponymous book by former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru, has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts.
The trailer of the film, which was released on Thursday, shows Singh as the victim of the inside politics in Congress ahead of the 2014 general elections, in which the party was reduced to a record low tally.
The three-minute long trailer takes numerous potshots at Sonia Gandhi, Rahul, Priyanka and others from the Gandhi family. "Mahabharat mein do families thi. India mein toh ek hi hai (The Mahabharat had two families. India has only one)," the trailer begins, setting the tone for the film and a political slugfest.
Many in the Congress have raised objections over the "incorrect presentation of facts" in the trailer, while the BJP has praised it as a “riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years".
Surjewala called it a part of fake propaganda by the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections, but former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has decided to remain mum.
The Maharashtra Youth Congress has also demanded a prior screening of the movie and declared that they wouldn't let the movie release anywhere in the country if their demand is not met.
"If the said movie is released without prior screening for our office bearers and without making necessary changes recommended by us that we find out after viewing the movie it will be understood that you are doing this deliberately and we have other options open to stop the screening of the same across India," the Congress unit said in its letter.
“My job is to act, the filmmakers' job is to make the film. All the information in the movie was out in public domain since 2014. If someone has a complaint, they should file it but there should be no goondagardi," he said.
The veteran actor said the film is open to interpretations and it would be wrong to say that it supports or criticises a particular political party.
"There will be different kind of interpretations and one can have their own interpretation. People release patriotic films during Independence Day or Republic Day. This is a political film and we would like to release it in the election time. What is the problem in that?" he said at the trailer launch of the film.
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