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)
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