The screening of “The Accidental Prime Minister” was on Friday cancelled at a Kolkata theatre due to security reasons amid protest demonstrations by youth Congress activists, police said.
According to the viewers at the Hind Cinema near central Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk area, the show was cancelled after screening for just 10 minutes on its opening day.
“The afternoon screening of ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ has been cancelled due to security reasons. There was an agitation by a certain group outside the hall,” a senior officer of Kolkata Police said told IANS.
However, he could not confirm whether the next shows of the film will be screened as scheduled.
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State youth Congress leadership claimed the content and the title of the film is derogatory towards Singh and other senior leaders of Congress and demanded that the film be banned.
Also in Ludhiana the film’s screening was stopped in a multiplex on Friday following protests by Congress party activists. The activists held a protest outside the Pavilion Mall following which the multiplex management did not start the show to prevent untoward incidents.
Local police and administration officials were present when the Congress protest took place. The film was however, screened in multiplexes in Chandigarh, around 130 km from Ludhiana.
The film, directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, released on Friday. It is based on a book with the same title written by Sanjay Baru, who was media advisor to Manmohan Singh when he was Prime Minister.
#TheAccidentalPrimeMinister releases tomorrow. I had recorded this video in England on the 18th of April, 2018. It has been a long, difficult but a sincere cinematic journey. Great learning experience. Both, as an actor & as a person. Hope you will like my effort. Thank you.🙏 pic.twitter.com/I2kGtMk39S
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) January 10, 2019
Baru’s book was published on April 20, 2014.
Actor Anupam Kher plays the role of Manmohan Singh, Suzanne Bernert that of Sonia Gandhi and Arjun Mathur of Rahul Gandhi. The role of Baru is being played by Akshaye Khanna.
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