As if the election campaign does not have enough spice yet, a flurry of political movies are all set to hit the big screen in the coming weeks. Suddenly political movies seem to be in vogue.
About four movies will hit the screens in the first week of April and all of them have a hidden political agenda. While some openly ridicule certain parties, others have chosen to taunt indirectly. Some other films are ironically asking people not to be carried away by cine glamour.
Mestri, starring the Congress MP, Dasari Narayan Rao, started the trend with several dialogues and songs ridiculing road shows. Most of the dialogues also had indirect barbs against Chiranjeevi. Naturally, the movie has irked the Praja Rajyam.
“We don’t care about movies that hardly run for a week,” said Mr Allu Aravind, producer and Praja Rajyam leader. “They will repent they made such a movie.”
Though the Praja Rajyam expresses moral outrage at Mestri its leader, Posani Krishna Murali, is directing a movie titled Raja Vaari Chepala Cheruvu, which is reported to be a satire on the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
An incensed Congress has complained to the Election Commission to direct the Censor Board to stop the movie screening. “This film is like an advertisement for a political party,” said the Congress MP, Mr Mohammed Ali Khan. “So the Election Commission should watch it before releasing it.”
Yet another movie Nene Mukhya Mantrini Ayithe had Censor Board troubles allegedly because it also lampoons Dr Reddy. The producer, Mr Narendra Naidu, has alleged that the Censor Board was deliberately harassing him.
Though nobody can miss the political undertones of these movies, the directors vociferously argue that they are fictitious.
In Prajanayakudu, there are even look-alikes of the Telugu Desam chief, N. Chandrababu Naidu, Dr Reddy and Chiranjeevi. But the director, P.C. Adithya, says that his intentions are good. “My film lists the positive points of YSR, Naidu and Chiranjeevi. It is a triangle political story. It will help the audience decide whom to vote for,” he says.
However, Posani argues that as a tax payer, he has complete freedom to criticise the government. “My movie is not against the Chief Minister,” he adds. “It only talks about corruption. If the Congress feels that the movie is against them, probably they feel they are corrupt.”
If one goes by the lukewarm reception which Mestri got, it seems the audience have already had their fill of politics from the small screen.
