Prime Minister Narendra Modi's biopic gets U certificate

After facing several roadblocks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biopic, titled PM Narendra Modi, has been cleared for release on April 11. The film received a U certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification about an hour ago. Earlier in the day, a Supreme Court Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, quashed a special petition seeking a temporary ban on its release during the Lok Sabha Polls, which are slated to begin from April 11. The court called the plea “premature” as the movie, till then, had not been certified by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The court also stated that even if the film is released on April 11, as claimed by the petitioner, it will be appropriate for him to seek a redressal from the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The petitioner had alleged that the film was against the Model Code Of Conduct laid down by the ECI. On Monday (April 8), the apex court heard the petition and asked the petitioner to place on record what is depicted in the movie, and what he objects to. The hearing on the film was then posted for Tuesday (April 9). The court had stated that making a decision on whether the film violates the Model Code of Conduct cannot be determined without seeing it.

When we reached out to producer Sandeep Ssingh, he said, “I’m relieved. I am thankful to everyone who supported me in this tirade. I am grateful to the judiciary of our country. This is not for me alone, it’s for every filmmaker who has to face such hurdles before getting his film to a cinema hall. I am very happy that the judgement is in our favour. The judges weighed in on the effort that a team of 300 people had put into this film. I have spent sleepless nights from the time the trailer of the film released. There was someone or the other raising an objection to our film every single day. The Supreme Court’s ruling in our favour puts aside all the aspersions that were cast on the film.”
Soon after the verdict, Vivek Anand Oberoi, who plays the titular role in the film, tweeted, “With all your blessings, support and love, today we have won in the Honorable Supreme Court! A humble thank you to all of you and to the Indian judiciary for upholding our faith in democracy!”