The makers of The Accidental Prime Minister (TAPM) should obtain no-objection certificates (NOC) from Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, says Pahlaj Nihalani, the chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).
The Accidental Prime Minister is an adaptation of Sanjay Baru's controversial book, The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh. Anupam Kher has been signed up to play the former Indian prime minister in the movie, which has been creating ripples in the media for a couple of days.
According to the guidelines, filmmakers should obtain NOC for all films based on real-life characters. But it is not clear whether Sunil Bohra, who is producing The Accidental Prime Minister, has taken the approval of Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi. Nihalani has stated that the makers will have to abide by the guidelines.
"The makers of The Accidental Prime Minister, producer Sunil Bohra, would have to get an NOC from Manmohan Singhji, Sonia Gandhiji and all the other real-life politicians who are part of the narrative. This rule applies without fail. There are no exceptions," IANS quoted Pahlaj Nihalani as saying.
Nihalani would not be the chief of CBFC when The Accidental Prime Minister is submitted for a censor certificate. "And although my current tenure as the CBFC chairperson ends in January 2018 and this film will come up for censorship after that, I am sure the guidelines regarding biopics would remain unchanged," he said.
"Anupam Kher was himself the CBFC chairperson not too long so. Ashoke Pandit who considers himself a part of the CBFC, is also a part of the film on Manmohan Singhji. And Hansal Mehta who is writing the film, claims to be a victim of the censorship guidelines every time his film is on release. I can't imagine how these people cannot be aware of the NOC required for censor clearance of films based on real-life figures," Nihalani added.
Anupam Kher, he said, is sure to give the role his best shot. "He's such a versatile actor. At the age of 28, he had played an old man so brilliantly in 'Saaransh'. I am sure he will do full justice to Manmohan Singhji's character, though it would have to be more expressions than words. As we all know, Manmohan Singhji hardly speaks. I am sure the dialogue writer would not have much to contribute to the character," he said.
