The Accidental Prime Minister: Punjab government may ban film for portraying Manmohan Singh in bad light

The Accidental Prime Minister has been facing its share of controversies ever since the release of the trailer. Now, News18 reports that the Punjab Government is considering a ban on the political biopic as it depicts former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in bad light. The Congress-led government in the state has scheduled a cabinet meeting to discuss the issue in detail and reach a conclusion on whether it will be screened in Punjab. There were reports that the Congress-ruled state of Madhya Pradesh had banned the Manmohan Singh biopic. However, Madhya Pradesh government issued a clarification on Friday, stating that it has not taken any such decision by then. [caption id=“attachment_5799381” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh in a still from The Accidental Prime Minister. YouTube screengrab[/caption] The Accidental Prime Minister features Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh and is adapted from the book written by Singh’s media advisor Sanjaya Baru. After the release of the trailer, the Maharashtra State Youth Congress and Punjabi Cultural Heritage Board sent notices to the producers, asking them to hold private screenings for them before the release of the film. There was considerable backlash from Congress, with many party members stating that the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is using the feature to malign Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. However, Congress later issued a gag order to its party members, asking them not to speak on the film till further notice. The Accidental prime Minister is slated to release on 11 January.