By
Sushil Kutty
People
are talking of the film ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ on Dr. Manmohan Singh.
When he was prime minister, Dr Singh was mocked for being allegedly
remote-controlled and sentenced to silence by the ‘family behind the throne’.
Sanjay Baru, his media advisor, broke the silence and wrote the book ‘The Accidental
Prime Minister’. Bollywood picked up the film rights and once more silence is
controversy. People are shouting from rooftops.
The
film is also BJP’s promotional ‘ad’ for General Elections 2019. The party
tweeted the trailer of the film last week, leaving it to the silent majority to
judge the man who became ‘accidental prime minister’. Also judge the ‘family’
which allegedly “ran him” and, through him, ran India. A lot of running that
was! The film throws its own light on the silence and the remote-control, and
makes a political statement, in time for General Elections 2019.
Actor
Anupum Kher plays ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’. That, say critics of the
film, and its timing is not coincidental – accidental! Anupum Kher is a
self-confessed ‘Modi Bhakt’ though he prefers ‘chamcha’ to ‘bhakt’. His wife
Kiron Kher is a BJP MP. Kher was also Censor Board chief and was thrown out
after a year into his tenure by the Manmohan Singh government. If he holds a
grudge, he has been silent about it. For now, Kher dreams of an Oscar, Best
Actor!
Those
who have read Baru’s book will not have to watch the movie to get the gist. But
film-making is a creative pursuit and comes armed with creative liberty and
licence, otherwise termed ‘freedom of expression’. The Congress party is not
amused, especially the Youth Congress. Posters of the film have been defaced
and Kher and his buddies-in-making ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ are counting
money saved in publicity.
One
view is that the Congress should ignore the film, remain silent like Prime
Minister ‘Maun Mohan Singh’. Somebody can be ‘accidental prime minister’ once,
but twice in a row? Dr. Manmohan Singh, second-time running, was a different
Prime Minister person – not accidental prime minister. There was seamless
continuity though critics will attach the continuity to remote-controlled, too.
In
fact, there is talk that Dr Singh “singlehandedly” decimated the BJP in General
Elections 2009. And the BJP has not forgotten the drubbing. Come to think of
it, the BJP probably picked up the wrong issue. The “timing” is not right for
the saffron-stained. And using the liberty of creative licence, the Congress
can turn the tables on the BJP by comparing Dr Manmohan Singh to Narendra Modi,
the ‘demo prime minister’ who succeeded him.
If
Dr Singh was ‘silent’, Prime Minister Modi is ‘demo’. Modi’s demonstration as
Prime Minister is under scrutiny and a lot is missing in the script, qualities
that mark a statesman and prime minister. The Congress can launch a publicity
blitz rating the performances of PM Singh and PM Modi on a bunch of issues
endemic to the country. Turn adversity into an opportunity. That will be
creativity!
Accidental
‘Manmohan Singh’ Anupum Kher says playing Manmohan Singh has made him an “admirer”;
that he is proud of getting under the skin of the character, learning not only
how to “walk like Dr Singh”, but also “talk like Dr Singh”, which is
difficult because Anupum Kher is talkative fellow and Dr Manmohan Singh is
silent to the point of standing trial for the silence!
What
if Manmohan Singh becomes third-time prime minister? It can happen if Congress
President Rahul Gandhi does a Sonia Gandhi. It will be like Narendra Modi never
became PM! The seamless continuity restored in 2019 after a five-year bad
dream. When creative juices flow, the sky is the imagination.
A
prime minister is a prime minister whether accidental or not. Narendra Modi
does not have a media advisor but some creative fella can pen a book ‘The
Incidental Prime Minister’. Who will assay his character in the film in that
case? Anupum Kher thinks he is no less than Ben Kingsley, who played Gandhi or
Danny Day Lewis, who excelled as Lincoln. Both actors won Oscars. Anupum Kher
will throw a tantrum if India doesn’t send ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ to
the Oscars.
Kher
is that sort of chap, louder than ‘His Master’s Voice’. Remember the dog
listening to the gramophone record player? There’s a story attached:
Liverpudlian painter Francis Barraud had a brother Mark. When Mark died,
Francis inherited Mark’s dog and phonograph. And when Francis played songs in
his dead brother’s voice on the phonograph, Mark’s fox terrier Nipper would run
over and listen intently. Francis painted the picture which later became the
famous gramophone logo, an accidental logo, if any! (IPA Service)
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