BJP complains to EC over 'biopic' inspired by Mamata Banerjee

The makers of the film say that Baghini is only inspired by Mamata Banerjee and that its May 3 release has nothing to do with Lok Sabha election 2019.

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Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday wrote to the Election Commission against the release of a movie which is purportedly based on Mamata Banerjee's life.

In its letter of complaint, Joy Prakash Majumdar - Vice President of BJPs West Bengal unit, said that the EC must review the biopic before its release as was done in the case of a biopic based on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Bengali movie, named Baghini, is scheduled to release on May 3 in the middle of election season. While the director and producer of the film maintain that the film is only inspired by the life and struggles of Mamata, the timing of the film's release is being questioned by many political rivals of TMC. "We began shooting for the film back in 2016. But some edits and graphics had to be redone which took time, hence the release was delayed and finally we are releasing it on May 3," scriptwriter and producer Pinky Pal had told Zee News on Tuesday. (Read full report here)

The BJP, however, has complained that the film ought to be reviewed by the EC on the lines of what was done regarding a film based on PM Modi's life starring Vivek Oberoi. This film was originally slated to release on April 11 which was also the date for voting in the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019. The release was eventually stalled after the matter reached Supreme Court and the apex court directed the EC to watch the film and submit a report in a sealed cover by the end of this week.

Films based or inspired by lives of political leaders have generated a fair bit of controversy this election season with the Accidental Prime Minister, starring Anupam Kher in the lead role, being blasted by Congress. While some argue that freedom of speech and expression in films are being curtailed, others argue that such films - during election season - seek to influence voters.