A bitter war of words broke out between actor Anupam Kher and filmmaker Hansal Mehta over his 2019 release The Accidental Prime Minister. The controversy ignited when Hansal Mehta publicly endorsed journalist Vir Sanghvi’s tweet, which dismissed the film as ‘one of the worst Hindi movies’.
Vir Sanghvi’s tweet stated, “If you want to remember the lies that were told about Manmohan Singh you should rewatch The Accidental Prime Minister. It is not only one of the worst Hindi movies ever made but is an example of how media was used to tarnish the name of a good man.” Hansal Mehta responded with a simple “+100,” indicating his agreement with Sanghvi’s statement.
Anupam Kher Jumps In
Anupam Kher, who played Dr. Manmohan Singh in the film, took offense to Hansal’s response and called him a “hypocrite.” Anupam argued that Hansal was the creative director of the film and had given his creative inputs, making his agreement with Sanghvi’s tweet contradictory.
Anupam wrote, “The HYPOCRITE in this thread is NOT @virsanghvi… But @mehtahansal was the #CreativeDirector of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister… So for him to say 100% to #VirSanghvi’s comment is so messed up and full of double standards!”
He further emphasised that everyone makes mistakes, but owning up to them is crucial. “Not that I agree with Mr. Sanghvi but we are all capable of doing bad or indifferent work. But we should OWN it. Not like #HansalMehta trying to earn some brownies from certain section of people. Common Hansal!! Grow up! I still have all our videos and pics of the shoot together!
Of course I own my mistakes Mr Kher. And I can admit that I made a mistake. Can’t I sir? I did my job as professionally as I was allowed to. Can you deny that? But it doesn’t mean I have to keep defending the film or that it makes me lose objectivity about my error of judgement.… https://t.co/UIgc4Pdvww
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) December 27, 2024
Hansal Mehta Hits Back
Hansal Mehta responded to Anupam’s criticism, saying, “Of course I own my mistakes Mr Kher. And I can admit that I made a mistake. Can’t I sir?” He explained that he did his job professionally, but that doesn’t mean he has to defend the film or lose objectivity about his mistakes.
“I did my job as professionally as I was allowed to. Can you deny that? But it doesn’t mean I have to keep defending the film or that it makes me lose objectivity about my error of judgement. About brownie points and hypocrisy I respectfully submit that you seem to be evaluating people by the same yardstick you evaluate yourself,” he added.
About The Accidental Prime Minister
The Accidental Prime Minister, directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, boasts an impressive cast, including Anupam Kher as Dr. Manmohan Singh. Hansal Mehta plays Naveen Patnaik while Akshaye Khanna is in the role of Sanjaya Baru.
The film also features Suzanne Bernert as Sonia Gandhi, Arjun Mathur as Rahul Gandhi and Aahana Kumra as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Despite its promising lineup, The Accidental Prime Minister received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics . It also failed to make a significant impact at the box office when it released in 2019.
