Manmohan Singh Passes Away: When Ex-PM Challenged Anupam Kher To Play His Role After He Refused The Accidental Prime Minister, “He Has Very Monotonous…”

Ex-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh passed away on December 26, at the age of 92. Condolences have been pouring in for the man who once predicted and hoped that history would be kinder to him. The late politician was portrayed on-screen by Anupam Kher in a film called The Accidental Prime Minister.

Based on a book by the same title, the film explored the late ex-PM’s tenure as the Prime Minister of India and the kind of control he had over the cabinet and the country. Anupam Kher embodied him like a chameleon. However, he initially had very strong reasons to not play the part.

Anupam Kher was not at all convinced to play Dr. Manmohan Singh in The Accidental Prime Minister for one major reason – the Congress leader was an active personality. People knew him first hand, not through some story or book. So, it was practically impossible to walk into a living person’s shoe.

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So Anupam Kher initially rejected the film. In an interview with NDTV in 2018, the actor recalled what pushed him to change his mind. He said, “One day, I saw Dr Manmohan Singh walking from one place to another on the television. So, the actor inside me asked me if I could walk like him. But I was a disaster. That challenged me. I rehearsed his walk for 45 minutes, but I couldn’t get it right, so I called the makers for the narration of the script, and I was very fascinated by it.”

He further narrated what prompted him to say Yes and recalled, “I feel everything is difficult about Dr Manmohan Singh. He has a very monotonous voice, and yet there have to be variations. Then, I said yes to the makers of the film.”

The Accidental Prime Minister Box Office

The film was released on January 11, 2019. Mounted on a budget of 25 crore, it earned 25 crore at the box office. Helmed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte it starred Akshaye Khanna along with Anupam Kher. The film is streaming on Zee 5.

Dr. Manmohan Singh was the architect of India’s Economic Reforms. May his soul rest in peace, and we hope that history will now indeed be kinder to him.

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