Soon after the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday stalled the release of PM Narendra Modi until the completion of the Lok Sabha election process, lead actor Vivek Oberoi cancelled his scheduled press conference in Nagpur to promote the film.
Condemning all forms of censure, filmmakers in the Hindi film industry agree that no movie should be stopped for any reason. Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan told The Hindu , “I’m actually disappointed. The film would have been such a huge flop. It would have been nice to have it released with no one going to watch it. At least, that is what I think would have happened. I believe it’s quite a shocking film, it’s got Modi as the saviour of Muslims and what not.”
Mr. Patwardhan said, “If they are bad films let the public decide. The Accidental Prime Minister and Uri are all [pro] Modi films. We wouldn’t care if another Modi film is released.”
Director Anurag Kashyap is of the opinion that PM Narendra Modi cannot do worse than what everyday news channels and news media has done to our country. “If a film has got a Censor certificate then it should be stopped, it doesn’t matter good or bad, true or false,” he said. Vivek Agnihotri’s film, The Tashkent Files now faces the same fate as PM Narendra Modi . Mr. Agnihotri received a legal notice on Tuesday from the family members of Lal Bahadur Shastri, staying the release of the upcoming film that allegedly decodes the mysterious death of the former Prime Minister. “As an individual and as a citizen of this country I don’t agree with the idea of censoring and banning films,” said Mr. Agnihotri. “But I am bound by the Constitution so I have to respect the EC. The film was supposed to release [on April 12]. Imagine the work and money [that has gone to waste]. It’s not fair at all.”
On DTH channels
While the EC’s Wednesday order stays PM Narendra Modi ’s release, its implications supposedly extend to NaMo TV as well. The “special service” offering, as the channel is referred to, is available on all leading Direct To Home (DTH) platforms. A source close to one such subscription service revealed that as of now, no legal or official notification to pull NaMo TV off the air has been issued. The Hindu reached out to Tata Sky, one of the services offering the channel for an official statement, but has received no response as yet.
