No decision to ban The Accidental Prime Minister: Madhya Pradesh govt

The Congress-led government in Madhya Pradesh Friday said it has not banned the film 'The Accidental Prime Minister', in which Anupam Kher plays former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Department of Public Relations of Madhya Pradesh government tweeted that there is no decision by the government to ban the film, adding that media reports announcing the ban were not factual.

The film has sparked a row over alleged distortion of facts.

The clarification came after a section of media reported that the film, based on the book of the same name by Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru, has been banned in the state.

The film, whose trailer was released recently, has a motley of actors playing the key players of the Nehru-Gandhi family and Kher stepping into the shoes of Dr Manmohan Singh.

Earlier, a Congress leader said he won’t let the movie release in Madhya Pradesh without watching it.

"I have written a letter to the director, we strongly object to the name and what was shown in the trailer," said Congress leader Syed Zafar.

He also said that they want to see the film prior to release or else they won't let it release in the state.

The trailer of the movie, which recently came out, drew a lot of flak from the opposition Congress party. The party also criticised the teaser saying that the movie shows Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi in the wrong light.

The film is based on the book of the same name, written by Sanjay Baru, who served as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's media advisor 2004 to 2008. Akshaye Khanna features as Baru.

The trailer shows Singh as the victim of the inside politics of the Congress party ahead of 2014 general elections, which the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) lost. 

Meanwhile, Anupam Kher, who plays the role of Manmohan Singh in the upcoming biopic, said they can't change the facts.

"If we make a film on the issue of Jallianwala Bagh or The Holocaust or any historic incident, we can't change the history or the facts. That's what we have done here," the 63-year-old told ANI. 

Kher's comment comes a day after Maharashtra Youth Congress raised objections to the film and asserted that if the film is released without prior screening for their office bearers, they will resort to "other options" to stop the screening of the film.

Kher also said that more they protest, more publicity they will give to the film. "The book has been out since 2014, no protests were held since then, so the film is based on that."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called the movie a riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years. However, Manmohan Singh has refused to be drawn into the controversy over the film and evaded question when asked about it.

In a letter to the makers of the film, the party's Maharashtra youth wing has raised objections to the 'incorrect presentation of the facts' and has demanded a special screening of the film to ensure that none of the scenes is factually incorrect.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film is slated to be released on January 11.