The Election Commission has ordered a stay on the release of PM Narendra Modi biopic, the Vivek Oberoi-starrer film that was all set to hit the screens on April 11.
The Election Commission has stayed the release of Vivek Oberoi film PM Narendra Modi biopic. The film was supposed to release on April 11
The Election Commission has ordered a stay on the release of PM Narendra Modi, the biopic on the Indian Prime Minister. The Vivek Oberoi-starrer film was supposed to release on April 11.
The Election Commission order says, "The Election Commission of India has announced General elections 17th Lok Sabha 2019 on 10th March 2019 and from the date of announcement of the elections, the model code of conduct (MCC) has come into operation. The MCC is an umbrella code, developed in consultation with the political parties, facilitates level playing field to all the political parties and the candidates and it inter-alia seeks to ensure that the power of media is not used in such a manner which affects the general conduct and level playing field during the electoral process."
"It has come to the notice of the commission that certain political contents (sic) which are not in conformity with the model code of conduct are being displayed or intended to be displayed to the public through electronic media including cinematograph in the public, which relates to either a candidate or a political party or a specific achievement of the party in power and these are displayed with the purpose of furtherance of electoral gains during the period of MCC."
The EC order goes on to say, "As these contents are incorporated in the storyline/scheme of the programmes being shown and there would be difficulty in proving the payment of money, they may not fall under the category of 'advertisement' strictly and may remain outside the purview of MCMC certification requirement, thereby evading the directive given by the Hon'ble Supreme Court in Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting vs M/s Gemini TV."
The Election Commission has ordered the following --
1. That any biopic materal in the nature of biography/hagiography subserving the purposes of any political entity or any individual entity connected to it, which is intended to, or which has the potential to disturb the level playing field during the elections, should not be displayed in electronic media including cinematograph during the operation of MCC.
2. That any poster or publicity material concerning any such certified content, which either depicts a candidate (including prospective) for the furtherance (or purported to further) of electoral prospect, directly or indirectly, shall not be put to display in electronic media in the area where MCC is in operation.
3. That any poster or publicity material concerning any such certified content, which either depicts a candidate (including prospective) for the furtherance (or purported to further) of electoral prospect, directly or indirectly, shall not be put to display in print media, without the prescribed instructions of pre-certification in the area where MCC is in operation.
4. That in any cinematograph material, certified by the appropriate authority, if there exists such a violation or on receipt of a complaint in this regard, a committee, duly constituted by the commission, shall examine the same and suggest appropriate action. This committee shall be headed by a Retired Justice of Hon'ble Supreme Court or Retired Chief Justice of any Hon'ble High Court.
PM Narendra Modi, the Omung Kumar-directed biopic, was slated for a release on April 11, the day India goes to polls. Last week, Vivek, who plays PM Narendra Modi in the film, denied that the film was made to influence voters. "It is just a coincidence that the film is releasing ahead of the election. It is not a propaganda film. I am an individual who has a credible body of work over the last 18 years, more than 45 films and more than 26-27 awards. So I stand my ground there. I don't need to make him appear as a hero. He is a hero to billions of people across the world," he told India Today Television.
PM Narendra Modi biopic, directed by Omung Kumar and produced by Sandip Ssingh and Suresh Oberoi, was initially slated for a release on April 12. The makers of the film then changed the release date to April 5. However, several opposition parties knocked on the doors of the Election Commission, invoking the Model Code of Conduct, that kicked in on March 10, a month before the Lok Sabha elections. India goes to polls tomorrow, with the first phase slated to kick off at 7am.
After the Election Commission was approached, the Vivek Oberoi film missed its April 5 release date. The Central Board of Film Certification also said that the Vivek Oberoi starrer hadn't received a certificate yet. The film was certified U by the CBFC yesterday and cleared for release on April 11, after 11 reported cuts.
However, looks like PM Narendra Modi biopic will find it tough to see the light of day tomorrow.
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