Justice Vibhu Bakhru of the Delhi high court has dismissed a petition seeking a stay on the release of the film The Accidental Prime Minister. The film, directed by Vijay Gutte, stars Anupam Kher as former Indian prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
“Single bench of the Delhi High Court refuses to entertain the plea seeking a ban on the trailer of the movie ‘The Accidental Prime Minister. Court asks the petitioner to go to the division bench [sic],” tweeted Associated News of India (ANI).
Single bench of the Delhi High Court refuses to entertain the plea seeking ban on the trailer of the movie ‘The Accidental Prime Minister. Court asks the petitioner to go to the division bench.
— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2019
The Delhi high court refused to entertain the plea filed by designer Pooja Mahajan, who had claimed that the film would create a wrong impression in the minds of the people.
“I think this movie has been made just to create a different impression in minds of people and brainwash them. The trailer itself says ‘this election season’. Stay should be imposed on it,” Mahajan had told the news agency ANI.
Mahajan, through her advocate Arun Maitri, had filed the petition alleging that the film’s makers had not sought permission from the former prime minister and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi before making the film, as reported by IANS.
During his tenure, Pahlaj Nihalani, the former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson, had often asked producers and directors to get a No Objection Certificate from the people or their kin on whom film’s were being made.
The Congress party had expressed reservation over the content of the film, calling it a propaganda film, but refused to take any legal action.
The Accidental Prime Minister is based on Sanjaya Baru’s book of the same title. Baru was the media advisor to former PM Singh. Akshaye Khanna will play the role of Baru.
While it is all clear from the Delhi high court, as reported by the IndianExpress.com, another petition has been filed in a court in Muzaffarpur, Bihar for allegedly lampooning several public figures in the movie. The complainant alleged that the film projected the country and a host of its political leaders, ranging from RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and BSP chief Mayawati to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Krishna Advani, in poor light.
The Accidental Prime Minister will be released on 11 January.