No link with PM Modi biopic, but ban on film will curtail freedom of expression: BJP to EC

New Delhi, Apr 04: The release of the much talked about movie, PM Narendra Modi, the biopic on the Indian Prime Minister, has been tentatively postponed by a week, according to the reports.

The makers are now planning to come out with the film on April 11, when the first phase of voting for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will begin.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has told the Election Commission that it has no connection with the release of the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a ban on it will only curtail the fundamental right.

"Independent artists, influenced by the lifestyle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, created the film but the BJP is in no way involved in it. There is no content related to the election which can be banned under the model code of conduct" the saffron party stated.

One of the major criticisms of the film has been that it has whitewashed Modi's life which makes it look like blatant propaganda. Secondly, questions are being raised about the timing of the film's release which is just six days ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha election 2019. Several political parties asked to delay the release of the film as they it it violated the model code of conduct.

The Congress on Wednesday described the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an "example of absolute desperation" based on a "flop person who proved to be zero".

Oberoi, who plays Modi in the film, had told ANI earlier in the day that the Congress is afraid of the "chowkidar's danda" - a reference to Modi. He had said that the makers of the film had only tried to tell an inspirational story. "We are not projecting Modiji as larger than life, he already is larger than life," he said. "Why are such senior and famous lawyers like Abhishek Singhvi ji and Kapil Sibalji wasting time on filing a PIL on such a modest film?"

The film features Vivek Oberoi as the prime minister through various stages of his life - including his early years with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and his long stint as chief minister of Gujarat - leading up to his party's victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.