Many political biopics to hit screen ahead of polls

From Prime Minister Narendra Modi's biopic to a film on Congress President Rahul Gandhi's life and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's mysterious death, filmmakers are trying to look through the political prism for their celluloid projects.

A host of films and web series, inspired by the lives of political personalities, are likely to be released ahead of the 2019 general elections. The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, from April 11 to May 19.

Here are some of them, listed for you by IANS. 

* "PM Narendra Modi": Helmed by National Award-winning filmmaker Omung Kumar, "PM Narendra Modi" will showcase the journey of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his humble beginnings to his years as the Gujarat Chief Minister, his landmark victory in the 2014 general elections, to finally becoming the Prime Minister. The film is set to be released on April 5. Readmore!

The movie will see actor Vivek Anand Oberoi portraying Modi. It also features Boman Irani, Darshan Kumaar, Waheeda Rahman, Manoj Joshi and Barkha Bisht-Sengupta.

* "Modi: The Journey Of A Common Man": "102 Not Out" director Umesh Shukla is making a web series on Modi, which will showcase his life as an inspiring and influential leader. The 10-part series will be released in April. According to a source, it will premiere on April 7, five days before the first phase of voting. 

The series will begin with a 12-year-old Modi, and present his life journey from teenage to youth to becoming the Prime Minister. 

* "Tashkent Files": To be released on April 12, "Tashkent Files" revolves around former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri's mysterious death. The investigative thriller, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, features veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Mithun Chakaraborty, and will have two sides to the narrative. 

Shastri died in Tashkent, then in Soviet Union's Uzbekistan, soon after signing a peace pact with Pakistan to end the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

*"My Name RaGa": The film, to be released in April, focuses on Congress President Rahul Gandhi's life. The movie, helmed by Rupesh Paul, will allow a glimpse into the inner life of the Congress party president.

Some more such films, reportedly, are in the pipeline.