Book vs Movie – a few insights into the making of The Accidental Prime Minister

This is no attempt to dissect the book and the film to point out where the adaptation has not justified th book. However, the few instances cited show that the film might not be a faithful reproduction of the contents of the book; it has been adapted to suit the makers of the film whose agenda was to create a film for entertainment purposes.

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher poses for a picture during a promotional event for the Hindi film 'The Accidental Prime Minister', in Mumbai. PIC/AFP.

New Delhi: The movie out rightly is about giving the audiences an insider’s view into the happenings behind the power centre. As one who was up, close and personal, Sanjay Baru’s book, The Accidental Prime Minister based on which the eponymous film has been made 5 years after the book was released, takes the reader and the viewer into the PMO. However, a closer look suggests that first sights can be deceptive. Some reflections on the way the film has been adapted from the book have already been pointed out by film critics. The protagonist Manmohan Singh, while not exactly portrayed as caricature, fails to capture the essence of the actual man despite the role having been played by a veteran of 560 films, Anupam Kher. Manmohan Singh appears to be a teflon-coated man unruffled by the happenings around him but was infinitely badgered for the wrongdoings of his government . Kher of course, has claimed in interviews that his own political inclinations notwithstanding, he has only attempted to essay the role in all sincerity and honesty, like any self-respecting actor would. Does the way the film has been made have a political agenda as it is hitting the screens close to the general elections? The makers say an emphatic ‘No’. The similarity in the release of the book in 2014 just before the general elections and the film being released now with elections barely months away is only a coincidence, they say. However, to cite a few instances of where the film diverges from the book, let us look at the following striking ones:

• For one thing, the narrator or the Sutradhar (played with finesse by Akshaye Khanna) appears as a young man compared to the graying author, Sanjaya Baru who was well past his prime when he served in the PMO. That is a minor thing compared with the other discrepancies between the book and the film.
• Baru asserts in his book that Manmohan Singh was not in the loop about the writing of the book. However, for dramatic effect, the film conveys that Manmohan Singh’s approval was sought and given. Likewise the conversation between Baru and Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan about her husband reading the book line by line does not appear in the book.
• Vajpayee is attributed to have used the word Masterstroke in the context of Sonia Gandhi choosing Manmohan Singh as the prime minister. This does not appear in the book.
• This election is not for Rahul or to put it in Hindi, Ye election Rahul ke bas me nahi hai was not said by Baru in his book.
• Ahmed Patel is portrayed in the film as assuming a larger role in the scheme of things and is often delivering communiqués from Sonia Gandhi to Baru sternly. The book doesn’t have mentioning of the adversarial relationship shared between the two.
• Baru did not say in so many words as his sutradhar says in the film that he wants to save the PM from slander. Just as well, the so-called offer by the PM to resign during UPA-2 and the scandal surrounding the Radiia tapes. These do not figure in the book as much as they do in the film.

This is no attempt to dissect the book and the film to point out where the adaptation has not justified th book. However, the few instances cited show that the film might not be a faithful reproduction of the contents of the book; it has been adapted to suit the makers of the film whose agenda was to create a film for entertainment purposes. Finally, was he a hero or patsy who fell victim to circumstances? Send in your comments.   The writer works as a Senior Producer (Digital) with ABP News. He can be reached at dheerajc@abpnews.in (Pictures used from the trailer below)