Modi biopic row: SC asks EC to watch film, next hearing on Apr 22

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Election Commission (EC) to watch the Narendra Modi biopic before taking a call on its release. The top court has asked the poll panel to share its views with the court in a sealed cover by Friday, and the panel headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will make a decision by April 22.

The SC was hearing a plea filed by the makers of the movie challenging the EC decision to ban the movie till the Lok Sabha elections are concluded in May.

The producers of 'PM Narendra Modi' had filed a petition on Friday against the EC ban that sought that the release of the film would not make it a level-playing field.


The EC had ruled that 'any content that disturbs a level-playing field should not be displayed' as per the Code of Conduct. Producer Sandip Ssingh had urged the apex court to see the film as an 'inspiring story', and not a 'political propaganda'.

Originally, the movie was slated to release on April 11. But on Wednesday, hours before its premiere, the makers received a notice from the poll panel that banned its release.

Last week, the Central Board of Film Certification had cleared the movie for release with an 'unrestricted' (U) certificate. The Modi biopic, starring Vivek Oberoi and directed by Omung Kumar, tells the story of PM Modi's rise to power from his humble beginnings.