'The Accidental Prime...'—Why Kher initially declined to play Manmohan Singh
What's the story
Veteran actor Anupam Kher, who played former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the movie The Accidental Prime Minister, has extended his condolences after Singh passed away on Thursday.
In a social media post, Kher posted a video where he reminisced about his experience of playing the late PM and economist.
He also disclosed that he had initially refused the project over "political reasons."
Tribute
Kher's tribute to Singh and his portrayal
In the video, Kher said, "To portray a character truthfully, you have to go inside the person. Dr. Singh was inherently a good man; gentle, bright, intelligent and kind."
"And if you see The Accidental Prime Minister now, you will discover that I could to some extent imbibe all those qualities." He added he considers this role as one of his "most truthful portrayals" in his career.
Emotional tribute
'I am deeply saddened by his demise...'
Kher further said, "He was a very wonderful person. I am looking for words because people look for interpretation in words these days."
"I am deeply saddened by his demise because I felt like I spent time with him."
Remembering their meeting, he added, "He was very kind to me, very generous to me, with his prayers for the film that I acted in."
Final tribute
'I will miss the man...'
In his concluding remarks, Kher said, "I didn't want to make a caricature in the film. When the film was finally made, I was very happy I did justice to it."
"The subject may be controversial, the man was not. I will miss the man in the turban and may God rest his soul in peace."
He also expressed his condolences to Singh's family and said India has lost an honest leader.
Twitter Post
Here's Kher's tribute
Deeply saddened to know about the demise of former #PrimeMinister of India #DrManmohanSingh! Having studied him for more than a year for the movie #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister, it felt that I actually spent that much time with him. He was inherently a good man. Personally… pic.twitter.com/y6ekLH5owr
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) December 27, 2024
Film controversy
'The Accidental Prime Minister' faced criticism
Notably, The Accidental Prime Minister, in which Kher played Singh, had received criticism for its portrayal of the former PM.
Critics weren't impressed with the film and the Congress party had deemed it "BJP propaganda."
The film also starred Akshaye Khanna, Suzanne Bernert, and Arjun Mathur, and was directed by Vijay Gutte.
It's streaming on ZEE5.