Actor Anupam Kher and director Hansal Mehta got into a war of words over the 2019 film The Accidental Prime Minister. The controversy started when Hansal reacted to a tweet by journalist Vir Sanghvi, who called the film “one of the worst Hindi movies.” Vir tweeted, “If you want to remember the lies told about Manmohan Singh, rewatch The Accidental Prime Minister. It’s not only one of the worst Hindi films but also a prime example of how the media tarnished a good man’s name.” To this, Hansal reacted with “+100.”
Anupam Kher shot back quickly, branding Hansal Mehta a “hypocrite” for having supported Vir’s view as he argued that Hansal had been the creative director of the film and has been an integral part of its production. He questioned the objectivity of Hansal, who, as a professional, should take credit for his work and not distance himself from it. He further accused Hansal of appeasement through siding with Vir.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE VIRAL POST:
The HYPOCRITE in this thread is NOT @virsanghvi. He has the freedom to not like a film. 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… https://t.co/tkr3H1ChyX
— Anupam Kher (@AnupamPKher) December 27, 2024
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 admitted to his professional role in the film but underlined that he was a person who could accept his mistakes. He said he was well within his rights to criticize the film without being asked to compromise his integrity. He apologized to Anupam if he had inadvertently hurt him. Hansal did not react to trolls; he invited Anupam to clear the air when he wanted.
Anupam played the role of Dr. Manmohan Singh in The Accidental Prime Minister, directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, while Hansal was the supporting Naveen Patnaik. Starring Akshaye Khanna and Suzanne Bernert, it was still very badly criticized and went flop at the box office.
