EC stops release of Narendra Modi biopic

The “PM Narendra Modi” – the film on the life of incumbent Prime Minister – will not be released on Thursday, as the Election Commission has barred screening of any biopic on any politician or political entity as long as the Lok Sabha polls are not over.

“Any biopic material in the nature of biography / hagiography sub-serving the purposes of any political entity or any individual entity connected to it, which is intended to, or which has the potential to disturb the level playing field during the elections, should not be displayed in electronic media including cinematograph during the operation of the MCC (Model Code of Conduct),” the EC said in its order on Wednesday.

The MCC came into force across the country on March 10, the day the Election Commission declared the schedule of the Lok Sabha polls as well as the polling for the state assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha.

The EC also ordered that any poster or publicity material “concerning any such certified content, which either depicts a candidate (including prospective) for the furtherance (or purported to further) of electoral prospect, directly or indirectly, shall not be put to display in electronic media in the area where MCC is in operation”.

The “PM Narendra Modi”, which has actor Vivek Oberoi essaying the role of incumbent Prime Minister, was slated for release on Thursday – the day 91 of the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies will go to polls in the first of the seven phases of polling for the parliamentary elections. The Central Bureau of Film Certification on Tuesday cleared it for release. The Supreme Court also on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking its intervention to stop the release of the film.

The Congress and other opposition parties have been seeking a ban on the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that the film might help the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to influence the voters during the Lok Sabha polls.

Apart from “PM Narendra Modi”, the EC had also received complaints against the films like “NTR Lakshmi” and “Udayma Simham”. The “NTR Lakshmi” is a film on life of former film actor and chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh N T Rama Rao, while the “Udayma Simham” is a biopic on Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.