The Accidental Prime Minister: PCHB, Youth Congress demand private screening before film's official release

Both the Maharashtra State Youth Congress and Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board (PCHB) have sent notices to the producers of The Accidental Prime Minister , demanding that a private screening be held before the official release of the film. Anupam Kher plays former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the biopic based on the book The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh by Sanjay Baru, who was Singh’s media advisor. Both the associations claim that the trailer of the film portrays the former politician in a wrong light. Satyajeet Tambe Patil, President of Maharashtra State Youth Congress said in a statement that the trailer seemed provocative and maligned the Congress party through its erroneous portrayal of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi. As per reports in India Today, the Congress party has apparently even released an internal circular asking its members not to comment on the film or the trailer. [caption id=“attachment_5802881” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Maharashtra State Youth Congress Presidents’s notice to producers of The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] The Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board stated that certain clips in the trailer were “unbecoming of civil public discourse which are meant to maliciously defame” Singh’s image in the eyes of the general public, specifically the Sikh community. [caption id=“attachment_5802911” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board’s letter to makers of The Accidental Prime Minister[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_5802891” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Part 2 of the PCHB letter[/caption] While both associations asked for a special screening, the Youth Congress President added in his statement that in case the screenings could not be arranged before the official release and the necessary changes (if any) were not implemented in the final cut of The Accidental Prime Minister, they would have to hold the makers responsible and stop the screening of the film across India. The Accidental Prime Minister is slated to hit theatres on 11 January, 2019. (Also Read: The Accidental Prime Minister sparks row: BJP calls film ‘riveting tale’, Congress says ‘facts have been played with’ )