Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra on Mere Pyare Prime Minister: It's a social, not political, film

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming slice-of-life film Mere Pyare Prime Minister  will soon hit theatres. Mehra recently opened up in an interview with Deccan Chronicle, where he discussed his agenda with the film, the cast and the film’s reception at its premiere in Rome Film Festival. The film is centered on Kanhaiya, also known as Kanu, who wants to get a toilet constructed for his mother, who raises him single-handedly. The mother is played by award-winning actress Anjali Patil. Mehra found the lead actors of his film while on a recce in the slums of the city. [caption id=“attachment_4895791” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Mere Pyare Prime Minister premiered at Rome Film Festival. Image from Facebook/Times-Mumbai[/caption] Talking about the crux of the film, Mehra reveals that contrary to popular opinion, the film is not about open defecation but about the country’s attitude towards rape victims. The director cited a UNICEF statistical figure which said that 50% of the rapes taking place in India occur when women step out to defecate. “This small kid begins the initiative and inspires us to kind of bring an environment of safety for his mother because after she is raped and she is going though her own trauma, he is deeply saddened,” added Mehra. The idea of rape and the problem of open defecation come together to make an endearing and uplifting film, stated Rakeysh. “It is not a political film, it is a social film. Yes, if in the title you have a word ‘Prime Minister’, it kind of leads people to think that there will a political comment but there’s nothing like that. The film deals with a social devil that is rape,” clarified Mehra. The film even has a sweet sub-plot about the love of a child for his single mother, stated Rakeysh. The protagonist Kanu, chooses to fix the situation and create a safer space for his mother instead of taking the narrative into revenge mode. Talking about the film’s premiere, the director admitted that he never had huge expectations but was pleasantly thrilled with people’s reactions. Mere Pyare Prime Minister got a long standing ovation, stated Mehra. Mere Pyare Prime Minister hits theatres on 15 March.