Case filed against Anupam Kher over 'The Accidental Prime Minister'

A complaint has been lodged against Anupam Kher and others associated with The Accidental Prime Minister, the film that has Kher essaying the role of Manmohan Singh, the economist and politician who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014.

The case has been filed for allegedly maligning the image of Singh and it will be heard on January 8. The complaint was lodged by Muzaffarpur-based lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha who said: "the film has hurt me and many others in the country."

Ojha claims that the picture paints UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra in bad light.

The film has grabbed a lot of eyeballs even before its release with many fearing that it could alter the course of the upcoming general elections.

Reacting to these allegations, Kher told IANS, "Look, when the audience is going to the theatre to watch a film, they are regular cine-goers and movie lovers. They are not entering the hall as a voter."

''But yes, when they come out, the film might linger in their mind. But then, cinema and politics cannot be separated, because they are a reflection of each other," he added.

The actor further said, "A filmmaker or an artiste really cannot figure out why people are voting for a political party. Some voters are loyalists; some are making a list of good and bad to choose a party and the government. How much can a film contribute to that?"

''Having said that, I personally believe that when people go to vote for choosing a government, they do not decide anything based on the impact of a film."