Accidental Prime Minister Row: Case filed against Anupam Kher for 'damaging' image of top leaders

A case has been filed against actor Anupam Kher and others associated with upcoming film The Accidental Prime Minister in a Bihar court on Wednesday for damaging the image of some top people.

Lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed the case in Muzaffarpur's Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court. The court has admitted the case and fixed January 8 to hear the case in Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate court.

Besides Kher, who has essayed the role of former prime minister Manmohan Singh in the movie, others named in the complaint include actor Akshaye Khanna who plays noted journalist Sanjaya Baru - a media adviser to the ex-PM on whose book the movie is said to have been based.

Actors and actresses who have played the roles of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi - then a national general secretary - and Priyanka Vadra have also been named in the petition alongside the movie's producer and director.

Ojha has alleged that he felt "hurt" upon viewing the promos of the movie, set for release on January 11, on TV channels and YouTube.

He also claimed that the film projects the country and a host of its political leaders, ranging from RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and BSP chief Mayawati to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Krishna Advani, in a very poor light.

The petition was filed under IPC sections 295, 153, 153A , 293, 504 and 120B relating to promoting enmity between different groups, sale of obscene objects, insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal conspiracy.