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derstanding of the film can differentiate clean Prime Minister without any cor- financial crisis, the Indian economy did
between genuine film product and an ruption charges against his personality better than many other countries. He
agenda driven stuff. People are free to and the countrymen know it well, not- inked Indo-US nuclear deal amid criti-
see the film and make their judgment. withstanding this film. cism from its ally CPIM. One indeed falls
The Accidental Prime Minister film is based The writer of the controversial book in love with the former Prime Minister,
on the controversial book of the same on which the film is based was released Dr.Manmohan Singh after watching the
name (Accidental Prime Minister: Making on the eve of the general elections of movie.
and unmaking of Manmohan Singh) writ- 2014 named — Accidental Prime Minister: After watching the movie, the design
ten by Sanjaya Baru political analyst who Making and unmaking of Manmohan Singh behind release of this movie before the
served as the media advisor to Dr Man- alleges that Prime Minister Manmohan crucial elections becomes clear. In fact,
mohan Singh from 2004 to 2008. The Singh was not involved in important the first time director Vijay Gutte’s at-
political drama has Anupum Kher in the decisions and his faithfulness to Gandhi tempt to adapt Sanjaya Baru’s The Acci-
lead role. While the memoir on which family remained unrewarded. dental Prime Minister appears far more
film is based on, alleges that Manmohan Randeep Surajewale of Congress said, malicious than informative. Gutte’s film
Singh was not entirely in control of his “When the official handle of the largest lampoons the Gandhi family in unfair
powers as most of it was wielded by the ruling party of India promotes a film, caricature while making out politicos like
Ahmed Patel (Vipin Sharma) and Prithvi-
raj Chouhan (Ramesh Bhatkar) look like
sneaky players. Neither Baru nor Gutte
manage to substantiate their impres-
sions with fact.
The allegation that Manmohan Singh
was merely warming the throne for PM
in waiting, Rahul Gandhi, for 10 years on-
the-trot, is so fallacious that it puts into
question the entire electoral system, in-
telligence of the Indian people, as well as
conjures up a Congress party as a behe-
moth with all-pervasive power over the
masses. The film also lays the blame for
corruption on Sonia and Rahul’s door-
step when it was in fact the UPA allies
who were actually caught in the cross-
hairs of notional loss-making by CAG.
The truth as we know it today is way dif-
ferent from what we were persuaded to
believe then. Gutte’s film basically pan-
ders to an anti-Gandhi family narrative
while portraying Sonia (Suzanne Ber-
nett), Rahul (Arjun Mathur) and Manmo-
then Congress President Sonia Gandhi. what do you call it?” han Singh (Anupam Kher) in derogatory
Sanjaya Baru feels that world for The Accidental Prime Minister treads a light.
Sardar turned upside down after in the tricky path ahead of 2019 elections. The The writing is perverse while the
second tenure of Manmohan Singh after film has been timed ahead of general narrative fails to find cohesive entreaty.
2009. The Prime Minister was bumped elections to entice voters. The book and Gutte’s selective use of stock TV footage
with a lot of difficulties and a puppet like the movie The Accidental Prime Minis- to buttress the negative implications
a term was attached to this name by the ter allege interference by Congress chief here makes for a terribly biased per-
media. In the second term, the author of Sonia Gandhi in the affairs of PMO and spective. This is certainly not cinema, it’s
the Accidental Prime Minister book Sanjay attempts to give credit to Rahul Gandhi propaganda of the worst kind!
Baru has written that Singh had threat- for key decisions. Indeed there is nothing accidental
ened to resign; he sealed the Indo-US nu- The Indian economy performed ex- about the movie “The Accidental Prime
clear deal and got his way but felt help- tremely well during the first tenure of Minister” and there seems a clever meth-
less against the charges of corruption in Manmohan Singh. The country achieved od in madness.
his second tenure. a growth rate close to 10 percent for
Manmohan Singh was an honest and much of his term. Even during the global letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 31 january 2019 63 www.Tehelka.com