Zee News Exclusive: Have no desire for a Rajya Sabha seat or to join politics, says Anupam Kher

The Accidental Prime Minister, starring Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh, has been the talk of town since the trailer hit YouTube. The movie depicts Dr Singh as a victim of Congress' internal politics ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The trailer drew sharp reactions from the Congress, which dubbed it a "propaganda film", but Kher said it was a bold attempt to look at real events through the medium of the biopic for the first time in India.

Anupam Kher, who portrays Dr Manmohan Singh, spoke to Zee News editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary about his role and the reaction. 

On a day when Congress celebrated its foundation day, the talk of the town has been about the movie which is based on Sanjaya Baru’s book of the name. Baru was Manmohan Singh’s media advisor from 2004 to to 2008.

The film brought back memories of some real-life events when Rahul Gandhi belittled his own Prime Minister by tearing up an ordinance, the all-powerful NAC and the nuclear deal.When asked how he got into Dr Singh’s skin, he said: “It took me a lot of time (7-8 months). Dr Saab usually has the same expression, so it was very difficult for me to mimic his behaviour and voice.”

He added: “I went back to my training days to NSD, I have seen his footage 80-100 hours and internalised his behaviour.”

 He added about Manmohan Singh: “He wasn’t always so sad, he was hurt between 2009 to 2014. He has spoken a lot. In 2009, he became hurt, he was disappointed. He has a great sense of humour, he is a resilient character and is stubborn.”

When asked if he was a fan of Dr Manmohan Singh, Anupam Kher said: “I became a fan after doing the film. He is a charming man. He is not a physical outward person, but he is a different person. When you see him for two hours, you see the nuances, his stubbornness. He was a bureaucrat who became a politician.”
He added nobody questioned Dr Singh’s integrity or honesty.

He adds: “Dr Singh will be proud of my portrayal. He will hug me and ask me for tea.”

I am not going to back off. This is my life’s best performance. #DrManmohanSingh will agree after seeing the film that it is a 100% accurate depiction. Will meet the media at 5.30pm at Actor Prepares, Film Industry Welfare Trust, Santacruz. #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister pic.twitter.com/WwKJNcyVO7

— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) December 28, 2018

However, he did add that Sonia and Rahul Gandhi might not be very pleased with the portrayal.

On accusations that the BJP was ‘pushing’ the film’, he said that he doesn't think the nation decided to vote based on movies. Citing earlier movies which deal with political issues, he said: “It’s not like Congress has never promoted a movie before. I remember tweets from political leaders when Udta Punjab came out. Every political party will use any means to promote their point of view.”

On asked about the role, he said: “This was a lifetime opportunity to get a role as brilliant as Dr Manmohan Singh. I doubt I will get a role like this ever again. If I wanted to explain something politically, why would I need to do a movie?  I will just make a video and post it online.”

He dismissed any talk of political aspirations saying he had a horde of projects abroad and had no desire either for a Rajya Sabha seat or to join politics. He said: “ I am making India proud abroad working in foreign projects and I am an accomplished actor. I don’t need a Rajya Sabha seat, have no desire for politics. I am a huge admirer of PM Modi.”

He went on to call the role 'once-in-a-lifetime', saying he was performing for an audience, and not few individuals who might be critical. He went on to describe it as a historic movie, which would for the first time, show the inner machinations of politics including real names.

He said: “It's a historic movie, that we can show a movie with real names. It's important and it's a historic step. It was different from playing other things, it will be a great eye-opener. Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film stars Kher as Manmohan Singh and Akshaye Khanna as Baru. It is slated for release on January 11