'PM Narendra Modi' has been in news after the launch of its trailer, with the Twitterati starting a meme fest and the Election Commission issuing a show-cause notice to Dainik Bhaskar and T-series for carrying an advertisement of the film
In five days after its launch, the trailer of the Narendra Modi biopic has got as many as 18.8 million views on YouTube. In fact, the trailer is considered as a major contributor in getting T-series ahead in the race with PewDiePie to become the biggest channel on the video-sharing website on March 21.
A strong response towards a film’s trailer spells good news at the box office for the film. For the Narendra Modi biopic, it looks like the stage has been set. However, is it the timing of the film that is creating the buzz?
Talking to Moneycontrol, producer Anand Pandit said, “The elections, of course, create more curiosity around our political leaders so that might be a factor. But it’s not the only factor or the most important factor that will get cinema goers to come to the theatres to watch this biopic. Elections and the noise around them add to the conversations around the film. But, I believe it's the subject of the film that is creating interest.”
Some are of a contrarian opinion. With 2019 flooded with movies on politics starting from Uri: The Surgical Strike to The Accidental Prime Minister, to Thackeray experts in the film industry say that Bollywood’s soft power is being used to put pressure on the Opposition.
The tango between cinema and politics will continue even after the general elections begin on April 11. Tashkent Files, based on the death of former prime minister and Congress leader Lal Bahadur Shastri, will hit theatres on April 12.
Whether the time is right for the release of the Narendra Modi biopic, Pandit said, “He (Modi) has just completed his first term in office. Ahead of elections is the time when people often look at the career graph of a politician."
"Election time is when serious voters analyse the work as well as the personality of their leaders. I think, purely from a marketing point of view, at this time there will be even more curiosity around Modi. As a smart producer, I have definitely taken that factor into consideration as well. But that is not the governing factor for making this film or releasing it now,” he said further.
This time, politics has not restricted itself to the 70mm screen alone and has reached to the alternate screen. Modi’s life will be a common subject this April both on digital and theatres. Starting this April, a ten-part web series on the life of the prime minister will stream though the seven-phase of the Lok Sabha elections. But will this have any impact on PM Narendra Modi?
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been perhaps one of the most watched and heard political leaders of our generation. Despite that, he evokes an interest in people that is unprecedented. People are curious to know about his life and struggles and how he battled the odds. Given the interest in him, I doubt the web series will impact the film's business, said Pandit.
“Audience analytics show differences in audiences who watch a film on the big screen vis-a-vis the web. And most importantly, I believe that people would want to see Modi’s life story on the big screen,” he added.
An important point to note is that the film’s release was also advanced by around a week and according to Pandit “the original date of release was April 5 as they wanted to give some buffer time for promotions and moved it by a week. However, with the elections starting from the second week, we felt it best to release the film on its original date of the of April 5.”
Pandit is confident that the film will garner good response not only on its home turf, but also overseas. “Narendra Modi is a global leader. He is high up on the list of the most popular world leaders. He has tremendous clout internationally and his travels across the world have shown that his popularity is not just restricted to India. So, I expect an equally enthusiastic response from the overseas market for this biopic,” he said.
PM Narendra Modi has been in news for several reasons with the Twitterati starting a meme fest online after the trailer launch and the Election Commission issuing a show-cause notice to Dainik Bhaskar and T-series for carrying an advertisement of the upcoming film.
An election officer had said that the advertisement of the film appeared to be a surrogate advertisement which may have “political overtures” that violate the code of conduct.
