Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday launched a new poster of PM Narendra Modi, a biopic on the prime minister, along with actor Vivek Oberoi in Nagpur, ANI reported. The movie will be released on May 24, a day after the counting of votes cast in the Lok Sabha elections.
Film director Omung Kumar B tweeted: “In India, all big things are started with a blow of the conch. Here’s presenting the new poster of #PMNarendraModi.” The film traces Modi’s life from childhood till the 2014 General Elections, which the Bharatiya Janata Party had won with a clear majority.
“Ab aa rahe hai dobara, PM Narendra Modi. Ab koi rok nahi sakta [Now, PM Narendra Modi is returning to power, now no one can stop him],” the new poster reads.
The film was originally scheduled to be released on April 5, but the date was then moved to April 11, the day of the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Several Opposition parties had complained to judicial authorities and the poll body about the film, alleging that it was a propaganda vehicle for the ruling BJP.
The Election Commission had stayed the release of the biopic on April 10. The poll body had ruled that displaying material that promotes a political figure would go against the core principle of the Model Code of Conduct of creating a level-playing field for elections.
The film producers challenged the poll body’s ban and the Supreme Court agreed to hear the stay on the release on April 12. The Supreme Court then asked the Election Commission to watch the film and reconsider its stance.
The poll panel submitted a report to the Supreme Court, saying that a public screening of the movie during the ongoing elections would “tilt the electoral balance”. A committee set up by the polling commission had watched the entire film and submitted the report.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court rejected the film producers’ plea challenging the Election Commission’s ban on the film. A bench of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said they will not interfere in the matter.
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