The Accidental Prime Minister (film)

The Accidental Prime Minister is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language political film directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and written by Mayank Tewari, based on the 2014 memoir of the same name by Sanjaya Baru.[4] It was produced by the Bohra Bros under Rudra Production (UK), in association with Jayantilal Gada under the banner of Pen India Limited. It stars Anupam Kher as Dr. Manmohan Singh, the 13th Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2014 under the United Progressive Alliance.

The Accidental Prime Minister
The poster features Akshay Khanna as Sanjay Baru and Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh and buthe title appears at bottom.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVijay Gutte
Written by
  • Vijay Ratnkar Gutte
  • Mayank Tewari
  • Karl Dunne
  • Aditya Sinha
Story byNitish R. Kadam
Based onThe Accidental Prime Minister
by Sanjaya Baru
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySachin K. Krishn
Edited byPraveen K. L.
Music bySongs:
Sadhu Tiwari (India)
Sudip Roy (UK)
Score:
Sumit Sethi
Abhijit Vaghani
Production
companies
Release date
  • 11 January 2019 (2019-01-11)[1]
Running time
110 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Box office₹22.65 crores[3]

The film was released on 11 January 2019.[5][6][7][8] It earned a moderate opening of ₹45 million (US$560,000)[9] at the box office on its first day[6] and ₹305.2 million (US$3.8 million) as of January 24.[10][3][11]

Plot

Based on the memoir by Indian policy analyst Sanjaya Baru, The Accidental Prime Minister explores the tenure of Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minister of India, and the interference of the Congress Party in contradicting his decisions during his first tenure. The movie details how Singh fell victim to the Congress Party's dynastic approach. The movie highlights how Manmohan Singh was constantly ignored by the Congress to maintain turf for Rahul Gandhi, the son of Sonia Gandhi

Cast

Production

Principal photography begun on 31 March 2018 in London.[12] The London-based shooting schedule concluded on 21 April 2018.[13][14] In India, most of the shoot occurred in New Delhi which later wrapped up on 4 July 2018.[15]

Marketing and release

The first look of the film was released on 6 June 2017 through Anupam Kher's official Twitter handle.[16][17] New poster of the film giving date of release of the film.[1] With launch of new poster the release date has been advanced to 11 January 2019.[18][1]

A new look poster of the film has been released by TAP official on 3 January 2019.[19]

The Hindi version film was released on 11 January 2019 on 1300 screens in India and 140 in overseas. The Tamil and Telugu dubbed versions released on 18 January 2019.[20]

Reception

The Economic Times has given the film 3.5 stars out of 5, describing the film as "well-crafted" and Kher's portrayal of Manmohan Singh "a convincing act".[21]

Utkarsh Mishra reviewing the film for Rediff.com, gives the film 3.5 stars out of 5, observes that the movie if carefully watched comes out as "well made", he criticises Kher for over dramatising Singh's walking style.[22]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5, noting that “The Accidental Prime Minister is neither hugely entertaining nor engagingly dramatic.”[6] Shubra Gupta of The Indian Express sums up the retort: "The Accidental Prime Minister is an out-an-out propaganda film, created for the specific purpose of making the former prime minister look like a weak, spineless man, a puppet whose strings were controlled by The Family".[23]

The Times of India's Ronak Kotecha gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 stating "Bollywood has produced several political dramas that are intense, complex and dark, The Accidental Prime Minister has all of that in measured tones."[5] Koimoi's Umesh Punwani gave the film 2 stars out of 5 stating "A Silent Disappointment. Akshaye Khanna is outstanding. I could just watch this movie again to fast-forward and go through just his scenes."[24]

Historical accuracy

Ajaz Ashraf writing for the Firstpost felt that the trailer of the film seemed to suggest that Sanjaya Baru was the media adviser and chief spokesperson of Manmohan Singh during 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement. However, Baru was only in this position during May 2004 to August 2008. The book ends in May 2009 when UPA returned to power following 2009 Indian general election. Baru had written 14-page epilogue with speculations and questions which is used as a pivotal subject in the film.[25]

Soundtrack
The Accidental Prime Minister
Soundtrack album by
Sadhu Tiwari
Released9 January 2019[26]
Recorded2018
GenreFeature Film Soundtrack
LanguageHindi
LabelPen India Limited
External audio
audio icon Om Shabd Video Song on YouTube

The single track is composed by Sandhu Tiwari while lyrics are written by Baba Ngarjun.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Om Shabd"Baba NgarjunSandhu TiwariSandhu Tiwari3:37
Total length:3:37

Controversy

In 2017, former Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani had said that the filmmakers will need to obtain a No-objection certificates from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Indian National Congress President Rahul Gandhi for the film.[27]

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party promoted the trailer through their official Twitter account.[28] Reacting to this, a Congress spokesperson alleged that the film was "political propaganda".[29] Upon the release of the trailer, the Congress party's Maharashtra youth wing in a letter to the producers of the films raised objections to the “incorrect presentation of the facts” and demanded a special screening of the film.[30] They later withdrew the letter, intending to not publicize the film.[31][32][33]

On 2 January 2019, lead actor Anupam Kher tweeted that people were reporting that the film's trailer was unseen as a top search result while being directly searched for on YouTube.[34] The newspaper India Today conducted their own search, and confirmed Kher's allegations, noting that only after the following day was the trailer returned to its position as a top search result. This led to speculation that the trailer had initially been removed intentionally as part of an anti-propaganda campaign.[34] On 8 January 2019, a local court in Bihar ordered FIR against Anupam Kher and thirteen other associated with the film for defaming political leaders.[35]

See also

References
  1. Taran Adarsh [@taran_adarsh] (27 December 2018). "Trailer out today... New poster of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister... Stars Anupam Kher and Akshaye Khanna... Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte... 11 Jan 2019 release... #TAPM #TAPMTrailer t.co/VR4nHPNrhT" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. "The Accidental Prime Minister | British Board of Film Classification". www.bbfc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  3. "The Accidental Prime Minister Box Office Collection till Now - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  4. "The Accidental Prime Minister first look: Anupam Kher 'overwhelmed' with response, writes personal thanks". The Indian Express. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  5. "The Accidental Prime Minister Review {3.5/5}: An amusing and engaging look at the term of Dr Manmohan Singh as India's PM" – via timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  6. "The Accidental Prime Minister Box Office Collection Day 1: Anupam Kher's Film 'Grosses A Decent' Rs 3.50 Crore". NDTV.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  7. "The Accidental Prime Minister review: Fans are all praises for Anupam Kher and Akshaye Khanna". PINKVILLA. Archived from the original on 16 April 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  8. Hungama, Bollywood (14 January 2019). "Box Office: The Accidental Prime Minister set to be profitable, Simmba to surpass Chennai Express today". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  9. "The Accidental Prime Minister Box Office Collection Day 2: Anupam Kher's movie sees growth in collections despite poor reviews". www.businesstoday.in. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  10. Team, BOC India (17 January 2019). "Uri The Surgical Strike & The Accidental Prime Minister 7th Day (1 Week) Box Office Collection". BoxOfficeCollection.in. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  11. Team, BOC India (14 January 2019). "Uri The Surgical Strike & The Accidental Prime Minister 4th Day Box Office Collection". BoxOfficeCollection.in. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  12. "Anupam Kher starts shooting for Manmohan Singh movie The Accidental Prime Minister, see photos". IndianExpress.com. New Delhi. 5 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  13. "Anupam Kher wraps up London schedule for The Accidental Prime Minister". The Indian Express. 21 April 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  14. "The Accidental Prime Minister shoot wrapped in London – Movie Alles". Movie Alles. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  15. "Anupam Kher on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  16. "The Accidental Prime Minister first look: Anupam Kher looks convincing as Manmohan Singh". Firstpost. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  17. "Anupam Kher on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  18. "The Accidental Prime Minister(2019) – Release Date, Cast, Review". BookMyShow.
  19. The Accidental Prime Minister [@TAPMofficial] (3 January 2019). "He put India before himself. Know the inside story in just 8 days, on January 11. t.co/aOtTlO0768 @AnupamPKher @IAmAkshaye @GutteVijay @mehtahansal @suzannebernert @mayankis @bohrabrosoffic1 @PenMovies @jayantilalgada @gada_dhaval @AahanaKumra @mathurarjun @ashokepandit t.co/OIF3uDAV4a" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. Taran Adarsh [@taran_adarsh] (10 January 2019). "#TheAccidentalPrimeMinister screen count... India: 1300 Overseas: 140 Worldwide total: 1440 screens. #Hindi version. #Tamil and #Telugu versions will release on 18 Jan 2019... Release date of #English version will be decided shortly... #TAPM" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. "'The Accidental Prime Minister' review: Anupam Kher pulls-off a convincing act, the drama unfolds into a well-crafted film". The Economic Times. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  22. "Accidental Prime Minister Review: Did Manmohan fight with Sonia?". Rediff. Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  23. "The Accidental Prime Minister movie review: A shoddy propaganda film". 12 January 2019.
  24. Punwani, Umesh (11 January 2019). "The Accidental Prime Minister Movie Review: A Silent Disappointment!". Koimoi. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  25. "Makers of The Accidental Prime Minister complicit in BJP's design to disparage Manmohan Singh, demonise Gandhis". Firstpost. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  26. "The Accidental Prime Minister | Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jio Saavn. 18 January 2019.
  27. "The Accidental Prime Minister movie needs NoC from Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, says Pahlaj Nihalani". 8 June 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  28. "BJP shares The Accidental Prime Minister's trailer on Twitter, draws flak online". 28 December 2018.
  29. "The Accidental Prime Minister trailer stirs up political storm; Congress demands private screening prior to release". Firstpost. 28 December 2018.
  30. "Youth Congress objects to The Accidental Prime Minister, demand special screening". Indian Express. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  31. Kamlesh Damodar Sutar (28 December 2018). "In poll season, political films create furore". India Today.
  32. "The Accidental Prime Minister Trailer Talk: Movie On Manmohan Singh Blames It On Congress". 27 December 2018. Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  33. "'The Accidental Prime Minister': Anupam Kher receives flak for political propaganda". The Times of India.
  34. "The Accidental Prime Minister trailer goes missing from YouTube. Anupam Kher blasts platform". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  35. "Bihar Court Orders FIR Against Anupam Kher and 13 Others For The Accidental Prime Minister". www.news18.com.
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