Just a couple of days after the launch of the trailer of Omung Kumar’s PM Narendra Modi, reports have emerged of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), a leading political party in Tamil Nadu, writing to the Election Commission and requesting a stay on the film’s release.
The Hindu newspaper reported that Arasu Bupathi, of the DMK’s engineering wing from the district of Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, has written to the commission seeking a stay on the film’s release till the seven-phase general election ends.
The Pune Mirror newspaper also reported that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has raised objections to the film with the district election officer. The report quoted Babasaheb Patil, NCP’s culture and literature wing head, as saying, “This is a biopic and an attempt to influence voters. We have reported this to the administration as this is a violation of the model code of conduct (MCC).”
The film was initially scheduled for release on 12 April, a day after the first phase of polling on 11 April. However, the makers later advanced the release to 5 April citing public demand.
Before the complaints were lodged, Cinestaan.com had reached out to the Election Commission to find out if the film’s release would violate the MCC and was told that “until and unless we see a complaint, or what the objection is, we cannot say anything”.
PM Narendra Modi is directed by Omung Kumar and tracks the journey of Narendra Modi from childhood to the 2014 general election which saw him become prime minister.
The film features Vivek Anand Oberoi in the lead role with Boman Irani, Manoj Joshi and Suresh Oberoi playing key roles. PM Narendra Modi is currently set for release on 5 April.