10 January,2019 07:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Upala KBR
Laljibhai Devariya in the film
After being pulled down from cinema halls following one show in 2014, an offering titled Namo Saune Gamo is set to hit the marquee, again. Divyen Raithatha's production had aired ahead of the 2014 elections across theatres in Gujarat - and one in Mumbai - before the Election Commission intervened, citing it as a possible propaganda for the BJP. Determined to get the film screened ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the unit decided to wait for five years until the next term.
Narendra Modi
Co-producer Yogesh Baj says, "After the film was pulled down in 2014, it went into trial. We decided to release it again after we got a clean chit. We are not supporting any political party, but wanted to release it during the elections [only]. It's not based on any real-life [character]." He attributes the stark resemblance that leading man Laljibhai Devariya bears with PM Narendra Modi as reason behind this assumption. However, it's hard to dismiss the similarities that his film's plot-line shares with reality in the then Modi-led Gujarat.
K Amar Danny
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"The film is about how a chief minister handles the law-and-order in Gujarat, and efficiently tackles issues of terrorism. But, we have not used any names, or shown Modi ji as the CM of Gujarat." Asserting that the court has opined his Gujarati and Hindi offering is not biased towards any party, director K Amar Danny says, "The film is a political thriller about two Muslim police officers who catch Muslim terrorists, and reiterate that they are [patriotic] Indians."
Interestingly, leading man Devariya - a Congressman in 2014 when he had shot for the film - was asked to step down by his party. "[The director] called me and said he is making a movie on Modi ji, and I said, why not? I have always [looked] like this [similar to Modi] since college. The Congress party threw me out stating I was doing publicity for Modi ji. They asked me to shave off my beard, change my clothes and the way I spoke at events, since I'd often say, [Modi's catchphrase] bhaiyyo aur behno. But, I have been in the Congress for 45 years, while Modi ji has been in politics for 17 only. So, why doesn't anyone ask him to change instead?" asks the actor, now part of the BJP.
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