Modi: Journey of a Common Man is currently streaming on Eros Now.While the release of Vivek Oberoi starrer biopic PM Narendra Modi has been postponed, Umesh Shukla’s web series on the same subject started streaming on Wednesday. Titled Modi: Journey of a Common Man, the 10-episode series has Faisal Khan, Ashish Sharma and Mahesh Thakur playing different versions of the Indian prime minister.
Filmmaker Umesh Shukla, who has films like OMG: Oh My God! and 102 Not Out to his credit, recently spoke exclusively to indianexpress.com about his web series.
Excerpts from the conversation:
Tell us more about the idea behind the Modi: Journey Of A Common Man.
It all started about a year back when I read the book Common Man’s PM- Narendra Modi by Kishor Makwana. It was such an honest and wonderful read. While we started the process, I ended up having a conversation with Eros Now. And here we are with the web show. Mihir Bhuta and Radhika Anand have written the show. And I must tell you, we have not added any extra story. It’s an honest attempt at showing the human side of the Prime Minister.
While usually the powerful side of a politician is flaunted, what made you tell the story of his common man side?
I always felt that this side of the PM has never been seen or spoken about. I went to the tea stall at the railway station, where he worked as a young boy. Such a humble start he has had. Also, when we started speaking to people to understand his journey, we realised he has always been a spiritual person. He had the drive to know more about life and do something for others. Few stories that we learned about him are so heart-touching. I remember a tale where as a child, he chose to stay to help out others around him than go and celebrate his relative’s wedding. Even when we hear stories from Steve Job’s life, it’s the human side that touches us. So why not tell the tale of the common man behind our PM.
Being a Gujarati, did it help you develop the show?
Of course, it did. I could relate to the story and it also came handy during the research. I met and interviewed his family. We even went to his school. For the series, we have spoken to around 80-90 people.
Why did you choose to have three actors play the PM’s role?
We did not want to employ gimmicks. Using prosthetics on an actor to play different stages seemed an unsatisfactory proposition. Also, we would have to modulate the voices and take care of various other technicalities. We did not want to tamper with originality. All of us have these three stages in life and we felt it was only natural to cast three actors.
The web series was released just days before elections. There’s a section of people who will tag it as a propaganda-driven project?
These things keep happening. When I made OMG, people abused me saying I was fighting against God. But it’s okay. This is part and parcel of our profession. The show is my tribute to the man, the nation loves. And even if it’s releasing before elections, what’s wrong with that?
A film on the same subject is all set for release. Do you feel both will get pitted against each other?
They are both on very different platforms. This is a web show and that is a feature film. I wish them all the best. It has a lot of talented people involved it. Ours is a simple real story, that we want to tell to the audience.
Any plans to show the series to the PM?
With the elections just around the corner, I don’t know how much time he has at the moment. But I hope one day he does see it. I would also be happy if he feels that we did justice to his story.
