The Accidental Prime Minister- movie review
The Accidental Prime Minister
Let’s start with the politics first. NDTV calls it 1.5 stars, while TIMES NOW calls it 3.5 ! Such ratings are only politically motivated which depends on which channel leans on which side at a given time. Similarly, most of the reviews including mine would possibly favour the political flavour and even your viewing pleasure would depend on the same. You will then decide whether it is a propaganda film or an intense political drama.
This movie is based on the book by Sanjaya Baru who apart from being a journalist also became media consultant to the then PM Man Mohan Singh (henceforth referred to as MMS). He is the suthradhar but yet again, the way he instigates this story, would remain a matter of debate if these things actually happened or a classic case of pure fiction. The timing of this movie so close to the election, is another point of discussion. This role is powerfully played by Akshayee Khanna. A wicked and yet on the go character whose wisdom is just blessed on being on the right side, and at the right time.
My 1st round of applause to director Vijay Gutte, not just for the film but being able to take names and characters right out of the current political scenario & getting the censor board to pass it & also being able to launch it across cities without much issues. My 2nd round of applause goes to the casting directors & crew and then the make-up artists who have recreated the real life characters with such finesse. LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Amar Singh, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Narsimha Rao, APJ Kalam & plenty more could actually feel that their twins are in the movie business. Even the then Pak PM, Yousaf Gilani for that matter.
Suzanne Bernet as Sonia Gandhi comes across as real Sonia. The look, diction & the mannerisms that she has been able to study & enact is amazing. Arjun Mathur as a good looking young Rahul Gandhi, tries his best to look incompetent & intellectually challenged 😉
Finally a standing ovation for the man himself. Anupam Kher. He has taken to this role & character like fish takes to water. His humble approach, the way he walks with his shoulders slightly slouched, hands in front of his body, feet moving with minimal movement, the voice modulation & even the hand gestures make him a stand out performer in today’s cinema. The nearest I can think of is Ben Kingsley in Gandhi. That too, we have watched Gandhi only in documentaries. Here is what we can actually compare from a daily TV watch.
The story line has nothing much to speak about as such. When Congress won the election in 2004, they did not have a PM face & the unanimous decision should have been Sonia Gandhi. However, there was a wide spread displeasure in the Congress allies & the public (which was also fuelled by the opposition) and hence the general view was to have a non-controversial PM which would further stroke the embers of a victorious election. They did not have to look further than MMS as he was held in very high regard within the party lines & as well as the opposition. Hence an aptly named title of the book & the movie “The Accidental PM” which explores the tenure of MMS & his control on the cabinet & the country. Here is where the story crosses the line between interpretation, reality & fiction. MMS is shown as a very noble but naïve leader. This is what we have seen him on TV but we do not know what would have been happening behind the scenes. The run-ins with the high command & seemingly controlled by the party and yet wanting to create a niche for himself ably aided by cunning Sanjaya Baru makes the centre stone of the story. Undoubtedly, he is a world renowned economist but he was not cut out for the world of politics. A possessive mother who always wanted the best for her son & who wanted MMS to hold on until Rahul is old enough to take over. At the end of the 2nd term MMS, dutifully requested to be not considered as PM should Congress win again. Needless to say, Congress was trashed in 2014. He does come across as a party man with a strong character & a strong will but restrained due to party & political pressures. An honourable man who could actually be the BHISMA of Mahabharta. Toeing the party line & limited to what he wants to do & for the country to achieve. His efforts for the nuclear deal are well recorded. Numerous real TV news channels are also included which makes it for a real time occurrence & can co-relate the events of recent past.
However, the point to note is that, Sanjaya left his post in 2008 & most of the scams happened after that. So the authenticity to these can surely be questioned.
To summarise, our remote control PM comes across as a victim of circumstances but a strong honourable man with a lot of spine. All in all a definite worth a watch if you have even 5% of political inkling. If not, stay away. If you are Pro Cong, you will not like it. Watch so that you can find faults. If you are anti-Cong, watch it so that you can parade a new tirade.
Also watch it for pure acting skills of Suzanne Bernet & esp. Anupam Kher
3.5* (anti-Cong)
1.5* (Pro Cong)
0* (no knowledge of politics)
Let’s start with the politics first. NDTV calls it 1.5 stars, while TIMES NOW calls it 3.5 ! Such ratings are only politically motivated which depends on which channel leans on which side at a given time. Similarly, most of the reviews including mine would possibly favour the political flavour and even your viewing pleasure would depend on the same. You will then decide whether it is a propaganda film or an intense political drama.
This movie is based on the book by Sanjaya Baru who apart from being a journalist also became media consultant to the then PM Man Mohan Singh (henceforth referred to as MMS). He is the suthradhar but yet again, the way he instigates this story, would remain a matter of debate if these things actually happened or a classic case of pure fiction. The timing of this movie so close to the election, is another point of discussion. This role is powerfully played by Akshayee Khanna. A wicked and yet on the go character whose wisdom is just blessed on being on the right side, and at the right time.
My 1st round of applause to director Vijay Gutte, not just for the film but being able to take names and characters right out of the current political scenario & getting the censor board to pass it & also being able to launch it across cities without much issues. My 2nd round of applause goes to the casting directors & crew and then the make-up artists who have recreated the real life characters with such finesse. LK Advani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Amar Singh, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Narsimha Rao, APJ Kalam & plenty more could actually feel that their twins are in the movie business. Even the then Pak PM, Yousaf Gilani for that matter.
Suzanne Bernet as Sonia Gandhi comes across as real Sonia. The look, diction & the mannerisms that she has been able to study & enact is amazing. Arjun Mathur as a good looking young Rahul Gandhi, tries his best to look incompetent & intellectually challenged 😉
Finally a standing ovation for the man himself. Anupam Kher. He has taken to this role & character like fish takes to water. His humble approach, the way he walks with his shoulders slightly slouched, hands in front of his body, feet moving with minimal movement, the voice modulation & even the hand gestures make him a stand out performer in today’s cinema. The nearest I can think of is Ben Kingsley in Gandhi. That too, we have watched Gandhi only in documentaries. Here is what we can actually compare from a daily TV watch.
The story line has nothing much to speak about as such. When Congress won the election in 2004, they did not have a PM face & the unanimous decision should have been Sonia Gandhi. However, there was a wide spread displeasure in the Congress allies & the public (which was also fuelled by the opposition) and hence the general view was to have a non-controversial PM which would further stroke the embers of a victorious election. They did not have to look further than MMS as he was held in very high regard within the party lines & as well as the opposition. Hence an aptly named title of the book & the movie “The Accidental PM” which explores the tenure of MMS & his control on the cabinet & the country. Here is where the story crosses the line between interpretation, reality & fiction. MMS is shown as a very noble but naïve leader. This is what we have seen him on TV but we do not know what would have been happening behind the scenes. The run-ins with the high command & seemingly controlled by the party and yet wanting to create a niche for himself ably aided by cunning Sanjaya Baru makes the centre stone of the story. Undoubtedly, he is a world renowned economist but he was not cut out for the world of politics. A possessive mother who always wanted the best for her son & who wanted MMS to hold on until Rahul is old enough to take over. At the end of the 2nd term MMS, dutifully requested to be not considered as PM should Congress win again. Needless to say, Congress was trashed in 2014. He does come across as a party man with a strong character & a strong will but restrained due to party & political pressures. An honourable man who could actually be the BHISMA of Mahabharta. Toeing the party line & limited to what he wants to do & for the country to achieve. His efforts for the nuclear deal are well recorded. Numerous real TV news channels are also included which makes it for a real time occurrence & can co-relate the events of recent past.
However, the point to note is that, Sanjaya left his post in 2008 & most of the scams happened after that. So the authenticity to these can surely be questioned.
To summarise, our remote control PM comes across as a victim of circumstances but a strong honourable man with a lot of spine. All in all a definite worth a watch if you have even 5% of political inkling. If not, stay away. If you are Pro Cong, you will not like it. Watch so that you can find faults. If you are anti-Cong, watch it so that you can parade a new tirade.
Also watch it for pure acting skills of Suzanne Bernet & esp. Anupam Kher
3.5* (anti-Cong)
1.5* (Pro Cong)
0* (no knowledge of politics)
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