New Delhi: Faced with infighting and exodus of prominent leaders following a lacklustre performance in the state Assembly elections, Congress could be set to face another round of embarrassment. Sanjaya Baru's controversial book 'The Accidental Prime Minister: the Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh' is set to be adapted into a film which will reflect the time Manmohan Singh spent in Prime Minister’s Office. Though Singh was PM, it has been widely alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi wielded much of the power.
A report by Economic Times said that the film will be released towards the end of 2017, while the teaser will be released by August end this year.
The film is being produced by Sunil Bohra who has films like Chittagong, Shahid and Gangs of Wasseypur to his credit. The newspaper reported that filmmakers are still in the process of finalising actors to play key roles, including of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Bohra's banner, Bohra Bros Production, had last year acquired the rights of Baru's book.
An actor from Punjab has been shortlisted to play the part of Manmohan Singh and the filmmakers are keen to sign Manoj Bajpai to play Sanjaya Baru.
Sanjaya Baru was the media advisor to Manmohan Singh from May 2004 to August 2008. The book, released two years ago ahead of the general elections, created a political storm with damning claims on the equation between the PM and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and the crippling effect it had on governance.
“I have to come to terms with this. There cannot be two centres of power. That creates confusion. I have to accept that the party president is the centre of power,” Baru quoted Singh as having told him, suggesting that the PM had virtually surrendered to Sonia.
