Prez watches 'Bhootnath Returns' at R Bhavan with Bachchan

New Delhi, Apr 18: Amidst the hustle and bustle of Lok Sabha elections, President

spent a relaxed evening with

watching his latest movie 'Bhootnath Returns' at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

71-year-old Bachchan plays a ghost-turned-politician who enters the electoral fray to rid the country of corruption and other ills, which he finds rooted deeply. The movie, released on April 11, also sends a strong message to the viewers about the importance of voting.

Bachchan said it was a rare honour for him and the crew that the President consented to watch the film at a private screening in Rashtrapati Bhawan along with a select gathering.

"We weren't expecting that the President would agree to a screening here, considering his busy schedule. But this is pertinent to the current scenario and is topical and relevant at present. I wanted the head of nation to watch it and give his opinion about it," he said at the screening last night.

It is about an elderly man who dies and goes to the ghost kingdom where he is mocked at for his failure as a ghost, as he was unsuccessful in scaring off a kid, he said. He decides to redeem himself when ghosts tease him and ends up searching for a child to terrify.

He befriends 14-year-old Parth Bhalerao, who plays role of 'Akhrot', a slum kid, and helps him take on the country's most powerful politician.

"It details how the duo (ghost and the kid) realise the depth of issues like corruption rooted in the country and how the slum kid coerces Bhootnath to fight an election," a smiling Bachchan told the audience.

PTI