Muzaffarpur court orders lodging of FIR against Anupam Kher, 13 others for The Accidental Prime Minister

The controversy over Vijay Ratnakar Gutte's The Accidental Prime Minister just keeps growing.

A district court in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, has now ordered that a first information report (FIR), a criminal complaint, be lodged against the film's makers and lead actor Anupam Kher.

The order came following a petition by local advocate Sudhir Ojha citing 'sentiments' being 'hurt' by the film's portrayal of prominent politicians like Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Manmohan Singh. 

The film has been the subject of political debate since the release of its trailer on 27 December 2018. The court had set 8 January as the date for the hearing. 

According to the ANI news agency, the court has now directed that an FIR be lodged against Kher and 13 other members of the film's cast and crew. 

Directed by Gutte, The Accidental Prime Minister is based on the book of the same name by senior journalist Sanjaya Baru, who was prime minister Manmohan Singh's media adviser in his first term in office, and claims to throw light on the goings-on behind the scenes.

The trailer was panned by the Congress and promoted by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's official Twitter handle. 

Gutte himself was arrested last year over charges of GST (goods and services tax) fraud. In a recent conversation with Cinestaan.com, the director said he had been the victim of a 'misunderstanding'.

Another case lodged in the Delhi high court by designer Pooja Mahajan was dismissed by the court. 

The Accidental Prime Minister features Anupam Kher, Akshaye Khanna and Aahana Kumra, among others. The film is set for release on 11 January.