Ahead of the film’s release on 24 May, a new trailer for PM Narendra Modi, the upcoming biopic on India’s incumbent prime minister, has been released.
Watch it here:
The trailer wastes no time in vilifying the Congress and former UPA government. It opens with shots of crowds chanting for Modi followed by glimpses of characters that strongly resemble Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and former UPA prime minister Manmohan Singh.
Vivek Oberoi, who plays Narendra Modi, says in a voiceover, “Desh ki tijori gayab, naujawan ke rojgar gayab, koyla gayab, bijli gayab, yahaan tak ki pradhan mantriji ki awaaz bhi gayab (The country has lost its wealth, the youth have lost their jobs, we have no coal or electricity, so much so that the prime minister has also lost his ability to speak). The camera then pointedly pans to the actor apparently portraying Manmohan Singh, who has often been criticised for being a “silent prime minister”
The trailer goes on to trace Modi’s journey from selling tea at a railway station to his tryst with the RSS to his eventual position as Chief Minister of Gujarat where he is seen trying to grapple with the Godhra riots. Boman Irani also reportedly makes an appearance as Ratan Tata. It ends with the words, “Jeetne ka maja tabh aata hai jab sab aapke haarne ki umeed karta hai. (Winning is only truly sweet when everyone wishes you would lose.)”
The Modi biopic was initially slated to release on 10 April, a day before the first phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections was to commence. The Election Commission of India (EC) put a ban on the release of the biopic during poll season saying in its order that “any such film that subserves purpose of any political entity or individual should not be displayed in the electronic media.” On 26 April, the Supreme Court upheld the EC’s decision to ban the film till 19 May.
PM Narendra Modi has been directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sandip Ssingh and Suresh Oberoi. The film stars Vivek Oberoi, Boman Irani, Darshan Kumaar, Barkha Sengupta and Zarina Wahab.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)