After watching PM Narendra Modi, the biopic about the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Election Commission of India (ECI) stood with its initial order of staying the release of the film. The producers of the biopic held a special screening for the ECI last week, after the poll panel was asked by the Supreme Court (SC) to pass judgement only after viewing the movie.
According to sources, the ECI deliberated over the matter and only after weighing the pros and cons, decided to stick to its original opinion.
In its order, the ECI said, the political content shown in the biopic can cause friction in the playing field during the Lok Sabha elections. Furthermore, the ECI also said, “Releasing biopics like this may create an impression of truthfulness of such content being shown through television/cinema/internet-based entertainment programmes/social media.”
The producers of PM Narendra Modi asked the ECI to take a call regarding the release of the biopic after watching the film. A special group was set up to review the movie, post which, the result was still the same.
The issue regarding the release of the biopic was being debated since a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) filed an appeal with the SC, saying the biopic was being used to influence the voters. The case came to the ECI after the Mumbai High Court, the Indore High Court and the SC said the case was related to the ECI and not a court matter.
After a lot of to and fro, the ECI finally invoked its special powers on the 10th of April and used Article 324 of the Constitution of India to ban the release of the film.
While passing its judgement against the release of the film, the ECI said, this biopic provides a particular environment where an individual in question could gain the favour of the audience. Furthermore, the structure of the 135 minute long film is such that it is completely unidimensional and puts one person on a pedestal with the use of specific symbols, slogans and scenes.
The ECI also said this biopic was essentially a tribute to the Prime Minister, thereby making it a politically directed film.
The ECI directed the producers of PM Narendra Modi not to release the biopic till further notice.
