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‘The Accidental Prime Minister’: Manmohan Singh the victim, Congress the villain
By Subhash K. Jha
Mumbai, Dec 27 (IANS) The trailer of “The Accidental Prime Minister” begins with director Hansal Mehtas voiceover reminding us what a thankless job Manmohan Singh had taken over.
Indeed, acquiring the most powerful job in the country…can’t get worse. Wait wait. It can get worse.
The trailer introduces us to Anupam Kher as Manmohan Singh. Here’s where the plot really thickens. I mean, the turban is fine, the voice is tucked down, the vocal chord seems as if the winter chill had got into it, the resemblance is impressive, if you are into imitations. But is that what this film aspires to do? In that case, a mimicry artiste would have been even better than Anupam.
Sunil Grover, perhaps?
These thoughts vamoosed from my my head as the trailer progressed and the Congress helmers Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were shown as purely evil Machiavellian schemers who had the pure-as-the-Ganga Singh clamped by his…errr, jowls.
In one telling moment of the turgid trailer, Gandhi (played by Suzanne Bernert — an actress who thinks imitation is the best form of flattery) tells the dedicated, humble, patriotic, soft-spoken (etc) Singh, “How can you resign now with so many scams hitting the party? This is not the right time for Rahul to take over.”
So now we finally know why Gandhi allowed Singh to remain the Prime Minister. To protect her son from the scams. Clever, mama, clever. What a devious son-screen.
Then there is the film’s ‘sutradhar’ Sanjaya Baru played by Akshaye Khanna. He goes around behaving as if he knows something that no one else does while ‘Rahul Gandhi’ played by Arjun Mathur and ‘Priyanka Gandhi’ played by Aahana Kumra bustle about trying to find a place in the plot, much in the same that they did in real life.
The trailer of “The Accidental Prime Minister” comes just a day after the trailer of “Thackeray”. Both are propagandist cinema meant to show the protagonist in the brightest light possible. But Thackeray has Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Not that it makes much of a difference.
Neither Singh nor Balasaheb would have imagined sailing in the same boat some day. Cinema is definitely more democratic than politics.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.