The Accidental Prime Minister poster: Anupam Kher film has Sonia Gandhi's shadow looming large

The news that Anupam Kher was set to play former Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, came as a surprise to many people. Now, the makers of the film have released the first poster of the biopic, The Accidental Prime Minister.

The actor tweeted the poster of his upcoming biopic, saying 'To reinvent yourself as an actor is to challenge yourself. Looking forward to portraying #DrManmohanSingh in #TheAccidentalPrimeMinister.'

The poster looks intriguing, and quite politically sharp as well. Featuring the profile of the economist ex-PM Singh in the foreground, the poster has a grim gray shaded colour theme. But what is most intriguing is the dark shadow of a woman, looming at the centre of the poster. The shadow, perhaps, symbolises the role of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was often accused of being the brain behind the former Prime Minister's actions. The placement of the shadow at the end of a corridor that delves deep into the mind of the former prime minister adds to the symbolism.

The Accidental Prime Minister is based on the book, The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh by Sanjaya Baru, the media advisor to Singh between 2004 and 2008. Written by Hansal Mehta and produced by Sunil Bohra, the film will see Kher in the lead role.

Anupam Kher to play Manmohan Singh in new biopic

Speaking of his role in the film, Kher had said, "Acting the role of anyone in contemporary history is extremely challenging, as comparisons are bound to be instant and inevitable. But as I have always revelled in challenges, right from my first film Saaransh, I look forward to the experience of portraying PM Manmohan Singh."

Incidentally, Kher is a vocal supporter of the current ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was in the opposition of Dr Singh. Kher's wife, Kirron Kher, is a current BJP MP from Chandigarh. This might make it very interesting to witness how the film manages to portray the complex term of Dr Singh's government.

Directed by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the film is also expected to arrive in theatres by December 2018, just before the general elections arrive in 2019. This might make it a touchy subject for some political parties.