Coming soon to a theatre near you: Your neta

A string of biopics, including films on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi, are set to hit the screens in the middle of the Lok Sabha election campaign.

Films on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, late Andhra Pradesh Chief Ministers N T Rama Rao and Y S Rajashekhara Reddy have already been released to mixed reviews.

‘PM Narendra Modi’ and ‘My Name is RaGa’ – biopics on arch-rivals Modi and Rahul are expected to hit the screens in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections, adding a fresh dimension to election campaigning.

Vivek Oberoi-starrer ‘PM Narendra Modi’ already has had its share of controversy, with the Congress, the DMK and the CPI questioning its release contending that it would amount to a violation of the model code of conduct.

Controversy

The film was scheduled for release on April 12, but now has been advanced by a week to April 5, prompting political rivals to claim that the movie could affect voting in the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections that begin on April 11.

The Karnataka Congress wanted the Election Commission to allow political parties a pre-view of the movie and allow them to file objections with regard to the violation of the model code of conduct.

The DMK, the CPI and the NCP have approached the EC seeking a ban on the release of the film till the end of the Lok Sabha election.

Directed by Rupesh Paul, the biopic on Rahul Gandhi – ‘My Name is RaGa’ – went on floors only last month, but the producers are hoping for its release during the election season.

A teaser of the film showed actor Aswini Kumar in the title role of Rahul Gandhi, Himant Kapadiya as Modi and Raju Kher, the brother of actor Anupam Kher, as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Rush of biopics

The 2019 election year began with the release of ‘NTR Kathanayakudu’, the biopic on late Andhra Chief Minister N T Rama Rao. It was followed by Anupam Kher-starrer ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, a film on Singh’s decade in the high office, and ‘Thackeray’, which was based on Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. Both the films were released in January.

Next in the pipeline are ‘The Tashkent Files’, a film on the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri, and biopics on J Jayalalithaa and Indira Gandhi.