‘Thackeray’ to ‘Uri’: Political Films Rule Ahead of 2019 Elections

‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ is not alone in selling a particular political narrative.

There are at least five films in the offing with a political message – or a politician for protagonist.

(Photo: The Quint/Arnica Kala)

The Accidental Prime Minister promises to be an inside story of former prime minister Manmohan Singh – and the Congress party.

From the trailer, it appears that Manmohan Singh has been portrayed as a victim of party politics, with the film dramatising the dynamics between Singh and former Congress President Sonia Gandhi between 2004 and 2014.

The BJP, on Twitter, called it a “riveting tale of how a family held the country to ransom for 10 long years" – drawing flak from the Congress.

But The Accidental Prime Minister is not alone in selling political narratives.

This Election Season...

...there are at least four other films in the offing with a political message – or a politician for protagonist.

Thackeray

Penned by Shiv Sena politician Sanjay Raut, Thackeray stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the titular role – and idolises the life of Bal Thackeray.

Glorifying Thackeray as person, of course, involves glorifying his political ideology, and the trailer does both in equal measure.

The trailer describes him as “Fearless, Worshipped, Controversial, Legendary.”

The movie is sure to find deep resonance with Thackeray’s followers. However, the Censor Board has taken exception to certain scenes referring to the Babri Masjid and the south Indian community.

The film will hit theatres on 25 January 2019, Thackeray’s 93rd birthday.

Uri: The Surgical Strike

Directed by Aditya Dhar, produced by Ronnie Screwvala and starring Vicky Kaushal, Uri weaves its narrative around the much hyped “surgical strike” carried out across the Line of Control (LoC) in September 2016.

One of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s preferred talking points, the surgical strike has become a mainstay of his tenure.

The trailer constructs a sharp distinction between India and Pakistan – in white and black – and invokes the spirit of hyper-nationalism, with dialogues such as:

• Pakistan jo bhasha samajhta hai, usi bhasha mein Pakistan ko samjane ka samay aa gaya. (It is time to send a message to Pakistan in the language they understand.)
• Waqt aa gaya hai, khoon ka badla khoon se lene ka. (It is time to make them bleed for their deeds.)
• Unhe Kashmir chahiye aur humein unka sar. (They [Pakistan] want Kashmir. We want their heads.)

The film releases on 11 January, along with The Accidental Prime Minister.

NTR: Kathanayakudu

This Telugu biographical drama revolves around the life of NT Rama Rao, the actor-turned-politician who founded the Telugu Desam Party and served as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years. The film stars NT Rama Rao’s son, Nandamuri Balakrishna (who is also the producer). Vidya Balan and Rana Daggubati also star in the film.

Like Thackeray, the trailer for this film too idolises its main subject. With dialogues like “Now I am 60 years old. All these years I have lived for myself. Now I feel I should live for the people and serve them,” the trailer positions NTR as someone who entered politics with a deep desire to serve the people.

The film releases on 9 January.

Mere Pyare Prime Minister

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mere Pyare Prime Minister will release worldwide on 8 March. The film is about “an eight-year-old boy who writes to the Prime Minister about the problems of open defecation,” according to ANI reports.

It will take place in the backdrop of Modi government’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, according to NDTV report.