Candid and completely non-political: Akshay Kumar to engage in a chat with PM Modi today
Kumar also shared a 24-second-long video snippet from the conversation.
By PTI | Updated:
Agencies
Akshay Kumar's (L) non-political conversation with Narendra Modi (R) begins at 9 am today.
MUMBAI: A day after Akshay Kumar said he would be getting into an "unknown and uncharted territory" with something he had not done before, the Bollywood actor Tuesday said he will have a "candid and completely non political" chat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
The 51-year-old star took to Twitter to announce that his conversation with the prime minister will be a "breather" in election time.
"While the whole country is talking elections and politics, here's a breather. Privileged to have done this candid and COMPLETELY NON POLITICAL freewheeling conversation with our PM @narendramodi," Kumar wrote on the microblogging site.
While the whole country is talking elections and politics, here’s a breather. Privileged to have done this candid a… https://t.co/hdUzvAZzcN
Modi replied to the tweet, saying, "Dear @akshaykumar, it was good talking to you about everything, except politics and elections :) I'm sure people would like watching our conversation."
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Kumar also shared a 24-second-long video snippet from the conversation.
Do you ever wonder whether PM Modi manages to laugh during the heat of the election campaign? You’ll get the answer… https://t.co/JfqCHyOa2M
"Getting into an unknown and uncharted territory today. Doing something I have never done before. Excited and nervous both. Stay tuned for updates," said the actor Monday, who has starred in a series of patriotic and social issue-driven films in recent years.
Hours after the cryptic tweet sparked speculation that he would be taking a political plunge Monday, he dispelled the rumours, saying "Grateful for all the interest shown in my previous tweet but just clarifying in light of some wild speculation, I am not contesting elections."
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Recently, Kumar has featured in films like "Padman" and "Toilet:Ek Prem Katha" has also featured in government ads on issues such as menstrual hygiene, anti-smoking and traffic safety rules.
The National Award-winning actor said the interview will air on the Twitter account of a news agency at 9 am Wednesday, in which the viewers will discover "some lesser known facts" about Modi.
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More Politics, Please! Modi Biopic, 'Thackeray' & Other Films That Courted Controversy
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It's poll season in India.
The 2019 multi-phased Lok Sabha elections have kicked off across the country. And it seems that political fervour has found flavour on screen as well. Biopics and films on political intrigue have created quite a buzz on social media, and away from it as well.
This year, so far, has witnessed the announcement and release of three such movies on top political figures of the country across decades. While some of these have been deemed offensive, others have been touted as political propaganda. Hailed by fans, slammed by critics and trolls, these films nevertheless have been talked about.
Here's a look at films with political hues that have courted controversy:
It's poll season in India.
The 2019 multi-phased Lok Sabha elections have kicked off across the country. And it seems that political fervour has found flavour on screen as well. Biopics and film..
Read More
Directed by Omung Kumar, 'PM Narendra Modi' is a biopic based on the life of India's 14th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The movie which is jointly produced by Suresh Oberoi, Sandip Ssingh and Anand Pandit, stars Vivek Oberoi in a pivotal role.
The film, earlier slated to release on April 5, landed in trouble when Congress spokesperson Aman Panwar wrote to the Election Commission seeking a ban on the film on grounds of violation of the model code of conduct of the elections. Earlier, his plea was rejected by two high courts which then pushed him to move to the EC.
The plea, which was heard by the Supreme Court on April 8, was not entertained on grounds of being 'premature'. The SC said so because the film had not been certified by Censor Board. Later, the film body gave a 'U' certificate to the movie. However, the EC then intervened and stalled the film's release till the LS polls concluded in May-end.
In response to this, the makers moved to SC and the apex court requested EC to watch the movie and take a call on its release. A decision on the same is now due on April 22.
Directed by Omung Kumar, 'PM Narendra Modi' is a biopic based on the life of India's 14th Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. The movie which is jointly produced by Suresh Oberoi, Sandip Ssingh and Anand ..
Read More
Vivek Agnihotri's 'The Tashkent Files' was served a legal notice two days before its release on April 12. The movie is based on the mysterious death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The late PM's grandsons sent a notice to the makers seeking a stay on its release stating that the film tries to create unnecessary controversy and can hurt sentiments. However, the film released last Friday and received an average review from critics.
Vivek Agnihotri's 'The Tashkent Files' was served a legal notice two days before its release on April 12. The movie is based on the mysterious death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The ..
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Vijay Ratnakar Gutte's 'The Accidental Prime Minister' is a biopic on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The movie was inspired by a memoir of the same name by Sanjay Baru who was a media advisor to the former PM. The film featured Anupam Kher as Singh, Akshaye Khanna as Baru and released on January 11 this year. However, the film had to go through a rough patch before it made to the theatres.
On January 3, a lawyer filed a case against the movie in Bihar court saying that the movie tarnishes the reputation of a few top officials. The plea also said that the lead actors have damaged the image of the former PM, his advisor, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra. Some critics said that the movie is pro-BJP and anti-Congress.
Later, a Delhi-based designer named Pooja Mahajan filed a plea through her counsel seeking a ban on the movie's trailer. Her plea said that the movie violated Section 416 of the Indian Penal Code. Mahajan's PIL said that the movie's makers may not have taken permission from Singh, Rahul and Sonia Gandhi. The petition also said that a no-objection certificate needs to be procured from the CBFC for such films. However, no such certificate was obtained from the certification board. She requested the court to stall the movie's trailer on Google and YouTube and quash the certification provided.
Nevertheless, the movie went on the floors on January 11 and received mixed reviews from critics. While some hailed the movie as 'well-crafted', others felt that it was not engagingly dramatic.
Vijay Ratnakar Gutte's 'The Accidental Prime Minister' is a biopic on former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The movie was inspired by a memoir of the same name by Sanjay Baru who was a media advisor ..
Read More
Abhijit Pansey's directorial 'Thackeray' is a biopic on Shiv Sena founder, Bal Thackeray. The movie featured Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Amrita Rao in pivotal roles and released on January 25 this year, which marked the late leader's 93rd birthday.
However, before hitting the theatres, the movie faced a tough time with the CBFC. In December last year, CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi objected to three dialogues in the movie which was scripted by a senior Shiv Sena leader, Sanjay Raut. Two of these were related to Thackeray's statements on the Babri Masjid and South Indians. However, Raut refused to edit this part of the film.
The film's reception leaned towards the negative side, however, it was still hailed as a good presentation solely due to Siddiqui's fine portrayal of Thackeray.
Abhijit Pansey's directorial 'Thackeray' is a biopic on Shiv Sena founder, Bal Thackeray. The movie featured Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Amrita Rao in pivotal roles and released on January 25 this year, ..
Read More
Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Indu Sarkar' is a 2017 period political thriller based on the 19-month emergency period under the then Prime Minster Indira Gandhi. The film starred Kirti Kulhari, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Anupam Kher, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Supriya Vinod in pivotal roles.
It courted controversy from the day its trailer was released. The film was criticised by Congress supporters for showing Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi in bad light. However, the director defended the film by saying that it was not a biopic on the late PM.
Sanjay Gandhi's alleged daughter Priya Singh Paul then filed a plea in the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the movie. However, her plea was quashed as she failed to establish her association to Gandhi. Two days before its release, Paul reached out to the SC seeking a stay on its release.
However, it was not entertained because the movie, according to the apex court, did not violate any law. The movie was given mixed reviews by critics.
Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Indu Sarkar' is a 2017 period political thriller based on the 19-month emergency period under the then Prime Minster Indira Gandhi. The film starred Kirti Kulhari, Tota Roy Chowd..
