Most of the bio-pics (especially in Hindi Cinema) are made to celebrate Success and very few talk about the Failures or grey shades in the life of any celebrated icon. BUDHIA SINGH is one biographical film I recall in the recent times focusing on both the success and failures of an achiever, but the rest more or less remain indulged in glorifying the chosen personality in one way or the other.
(Click HERE to read the review of BUDHIA SINGH Born To Win)
However PM NARENDRA MODI is a completely different project as it has not been actually made as a film for the box office, which is an undeniable fact clearly known to one and all. It’s a film purposefully made to release at a perfect timing before general elections idolizing the present political icon of the country and that’s the reason why the Election Commission didn’t allow it to release before or within the period of elections.
Luckily the ‘imposed hold’ worked in favour of the film as it has now been released on the very first day post the amazing results giving Narendra Modi a second term as the honourable Prime Minister winning a thumping majority. And that’s the reason one can witness the few audience in the theater cheerfully watching it feeling a new high, with a new energetic spirit, clapping at its every major dialogue and fiery sequence.
Putting it differently, PM NARENDRA MODI has been specifically made for its set target audience (the big fan following) and for informing and reaching the youngsters in particular. And if you look at the film from that angle then it successfully achieves its target projecting the icon in an entirely positive light without any grey shades enhancing every significant event in his life in a typical filmy manner incorporating the famous lines used in the election speeches.
Further in the process, it conveniently skips a few selected events and presents the rest with many loud and fictional exaggerations recalling the last four decades, expectedly creating a larger than life image of the most followed icon of the country in the present.
As mentioned before, the venture cannot really be called a film, because it has not been made following any kind of storytelling, flow or cinematic narration. It just begins from the year 2013-14 and then showcases the carefully chosen events of PM Narendra Modi’s political life moving into flashbacks at intervals. The events keep coming one after another moving towards an abrupt ending, wherein the party wins a majority in 2014 forming the government. Thus, we do have a strong possibility of witnessing a sequel coming right before the next general elections elaborating on the ten year span post gaining the power in 2014 and then regaining it in 2019 with an even bigger majority.
Hence, instead of a film, PM NARENDRA MODI can easily be referred as a smartly crafted show-reel, positively glorifying the major incidents of our history focusing on the famous icon. No doubt it successfully serves its sole purpose of providing the basic information (along with forced fictional exaggerations) to the ones who don’t really know anything about their PM’s political journey and are not willing to read any biographical books too for the same.
But while watching, one has to be well-aware of the fact that this happens to be a highly dramatized, one-sided version of the actual events, wherein the rival party leaders are intentionally shown in a disrespectful and avoidable comic manner.
Indicating it in a few words, a bio-pic of the present Prime Minister of India intentionally mocking and making fun of the former Prime Minister of India, cannot really be called a bio-pic made with any kind of vision.
The attempt surely could have been lot better if the presentation had been more real, respectful and not so convenient always favouring the lead character. For instance among many other illogical insertions in its narration (including the one reminding you of Bhagat Singh), its really laughable to see a cunning Indian businessman influencing the American Government to deny Visa to then Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi.
Moving over to the performances, apart from all strictly average supporting acts and a likable mother played by Zarina Wahab, the project has a major drawback in the portrayal of Vivek Oberoi – as he doesn’t resemble the actual persona of the PM at all. Though he keeps trying his best to make an impact in all the key sequences getting adequate help from the effective dialogues, background score and cinematography, he actually doesn’t look like the PM despite the magic of make-up and a similar dress-up. So, one has to assume that he is playing the PM, knowingly ignoring the visible dissimilarities and the occasional hamming. Wonder why he was chosen for the role - may be, for his immediate availability as it seems.
On the other hand the best part of Vivek’s portrayal and Omang’s direction is that Vivek doesn’t mock the PM, doing it in his own way, which can also be called the major saving grace of the film unarguably. Because had he opted to copy it like a mimic then that would have turned the attempt into a much poorer mess as witnessed in the recent ACCIDENTAL PRIME MINISTER.
In all, PM NARENDRA MODI should not actually be considered a new Hindi film release, as it clearly is a timely or rather hurriedly made, partially fictional and exaggerated, real life inspired political docu-drama, conceived with a purpose. It’s a project made for the fans, enhancing the already established political image of our present Prime Minister, produced, enacted and directed out of sheer love and admiration. The writer-director takes big cinematic liberties in portraying the actual history, so in case you are already well-aware of the events and can rightly spot the discrepancies, then this has quite less in store as a film and can easily be skipped, catching it later on the online portals if you must.
Rating : 2 / 5 (Including additional 0.5 for a few good musical tracks played in the background)
