Hansal Mehta’s clash with Anupam Kher after Former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s death has been widely circulating on the internet for a while now. And now, the filmmaker has shared his final opinion on the entire matter, in a Times Now exclusive interview.
It all started when journalist Vir Sanghvi tweeted, “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, reacting to it, wrote, “+100,” which irked Anupam Kher, who played the titular role in the biopic.
On Sunday night, the filmmaker shared the link of his interview on his X handle, with the caption, “Here is a very detailed response to Mr. @AnupamPKher and to those who still believe in reading. For those who choose to troll without purpose or with one – get well soon. I’m done here for now.”
Check out the tweet here:
Here is a very detailed response to Mr. @AnupamPKher and to those who still believe in reading. For those who choose to troll without purpose or with one – get well soon. I’m done here for now.
Hansal Mehta Responds To Anupam Kher’s Scathing Comments On The Accidental Prime…
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) December 29, 2024
Mentioning that he respects the veteran actor, Hansal said during the interview, “He is a senior, and his film Saaransh is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker; it changed something within me. He has every right to criticise me.”
“However, considering the considerable amount of time he has spent with me, I expect at the very least that he refrains from making unfounded insinuations and engaging in name-calling,” he continued.
“Instead of respecting the dignified stand I took back then, he chooses to rake up old tweets, call me names, insinuate some hidden agenda, and point out that I was on set for 35 days. Was I there on a picnic? What exactly is he trying to imply?” the Aligarh director remarked.
Adding why he decided to work on the movie, Hansal said, “I made a professional commitment to work on the film because the producer had supported my film, Shahid, during a time when I was struggling. I was willing to do whatever I could to assist him. I fulfilled that commitment to the best of my ability and within the limited capacity I was allowed by the film’s director and creative team.”
But even though he worked on the film diligently, he still holds his personal opinion in high regard.
“While I stand by my commitment, I also stand by my opinion of what the film ultimately turned out to be,” he said.
“Perhaps I could have voiced that opinion earlier, but it was a chapter I had left behind – until I heard the news of Mr. Manmohan Singh’s passing. It’s unfortunate that my words shifted the focus away from what was meant to be a somber reflection on my error in judgment and instead led to abusive trolling,” he clarified.
Earlier, Anupam Kher had tweeted, “The HYPOCRITE in this thread is NOT @virsanghvi. He has the freedom to not like a film.”
Calling out Hansal Mehta, the tweet continued, “But @mehtahansal was the #CreativeDirector of #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister. Who was present at the entire shoot of the film in England! Giving his creative inputs and must have taken the fee also for it. So for him to say 100% to #VirSanghvi’s comment is so messed up and full of double standards!”
“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!” the post concluded strongly condemning the filmmaker’s “double standards.”
To this, Hansal Mehta called back with, “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.”
“About brownie points and hypocrisy I respectfully submit that you seem to be evaluating people by the same yardstick you evaluate yourself,” the post concluded.
Coming to the film, The Accidental Prime Minister was directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, where Anupam Khet played Dr Manmohan Singh and Hansal Mehta played Naveen Patnaik.
Besides them, the film also starred Akshaye Khanna as Sanjaya Baru, Suzanne Bernert as Sonia Gandhi, Arjun Mathur as Rahul Gandhi, and Aahana Kumra as Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
