December 28th 2024.
In a recent incident, veteran actor Anupam Kher and filmmaker Hansal Mehta engaged in a heated exchange over their film "The Accidental Prime Minister". The disagreement arose when Mehta expressed his agreement with a journalist's view that the movie, which portrayed the life of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was filled with lies.
The passing away of Singh, the man behind India's economic reforms, only added to the intensity of the situation. He left this world at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of his contributions as the country's prime minister from 2004 to 2014.
It all started when senior journalist Vir Sanghvi took to social media to label "The Accidental Prime Minister" as one of the worst Hindi movies ever made. The movie, based on the memoir of Singh's former media advisor Sanjay Baru, starred Kher as the former PM and Akshaye Khanna as Baru. Directed by Vijay Gutte, the movie depicted significant political events and decisions during Singh's tenure, with a focus on his challenges as the prime minister and the influence of the Congress party on his administration.
Sanghvi's post received support from Mehta, who shared it on his own social media and added a "+100" caption. In an earlier post, the filmmaker had also expressed his condolences on Singh's demise and stated that the nation owed him an apology. He also acknowledged the personal apology he owed to Singh for any negative portrayal in the film. Mehta described Singh as an honorable man, a rare gem in a profession dominated by rough individuals.
However, Kher was quick to criticize Mehta's endorsement of Sanghvi's post, calling the filmmaker a hypocrite. He pointed out that Mehta was the creative director of the movie and was present during the entire shoot in England, providing his creative inputs and taking the fee for it. Kher accused Mehta of having double standards in supporting Sanghvi's view while simultaneously being involved in the making of the movie.
In response, Kher clarified that he did not share Sanghvi's opinion, but he believed that artists were capable of producing bad or average work. He insisted that artists should take responsibility for their work and not try to gain favor from a particular section of people. Kher also shared old posts by Mehta, congratulating him, Khanna, and Gutte for their work on the movie, without adding any further comments.
Mehta replied, acknowledging his mistake and stating that he could admit to it. He also defended his professionalism during the making of the film and clarified that he did not mean to defend the movie or lose his objectivity. He also addressed Kher's accusations of seeking brownie points and being a hypocrite, stating that Kher was using the same yardstick to judge others as he did himself.
In a later post, Mehta apologized to Kher for unintentionally hurting him and offered to clear the air at an appropriate time. He also expressed his desire to not give trolls any opportunity to further distort the situation. He ended his post by sending his love to Kher and wishing him a belated Merry Christmas and a happy New Year in advance.
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