India mourns the loss of Dr. Manmohan Singh, who passed away last night at the age of 92 at AIIMS, Delhi. A towering figure in Indian politics, Singh’s legacy as a scholar, economist, and the 13th Prime Minister of India has left an enduring impact on the nation. His death has also refreshed memory of his controversial portrayal in the 2019 film The Accidental Prime Minister. Widely criticized as a propaganda piece, the film was accused of reducing the late leader’s complexity to a caricature of meekness and subservience.
Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte and starring Anupam Kher, the movie was based on Sanjaya Baru’s memoir, which detailed Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014. A a seasoned policy analyst and journalist, Baru gained a ringside view of Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister through his role as media advisor and chief spokesperson from 2004 to 2008, combined with his father’s prior association with Singh during his time as Finance Secretary.
The film claimed to expose the “dynastic politics” of the Congress Party, portraying Singh as little more than a puppet prime minister controlled by Sonia Gandhi. However, critics quickly noted that The Accidental Prime Minister leaned heavily into the narrative propagated by Singh’s political detractors, raising questions about its timing and intent.
Deeply saddened to know about the demise of former #PrimeMinister of India #DrManmohanSingh! Having studied him for more than a year for the movie #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, it felt that I actually spent that much time with him. He was inherently a good man. Personally… pic.twitter.com/y6ekLH5owr
Released in an election year and actively promoted by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the film was seen by many as an attempt to score political points at Singh’s expense. Congress leaders decried it as “political propaganda,” and reviews alleged the film was designed to strip Singh of any semblance of dignity and nuance.
From FIRs against the filmmakers to demands for no-objection certificates from Singh and the Gandhi’s themselves, the controversies overshadowed any meaningful discourse about Singh’s leadership. While the Congress youth wing initially sought to challenge the film, they later withdrew objections, likely to avoid fueling further publicity for what many deemed a smear campaign.
Singh was the economist and finance minister who steered India through liberalisation in the 1990s and held the distinction of being the only non-Nehru-Gandhi Prime Minister to serve two full terms. The Accidental Prime Minister reduced him to the label of “Mauni Baba” (the silent sage), a man who couldn’t — or wouldn’t — speak out against his party’s leadership.
Despite the controversy, Singh himself remained a dignified figure, often rising above partisan conflicts. In his later years, Singh often remarked, “History will be kinder to me than the media.”
Published – December 27, 2024 11:12 am IST
Hindi cinema
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Indian cinema
