From Savarkar to Munnabhai to Manipur Files, political one-upmanship gets Bollywood angle

On Saturday, after attending the screening of the Swatantra Veer Savarkar in Mumbai, Fadnavis had said, “I appeal to Rahul Gandhi to watch this film and if he is willing, I will pay from my pocket to book the entire theater just for him. Maybe he will then stop making baseless statements about Savarkar.”

Gandhi has been critical of Savarkar and even lashed out at him over his mercy petitions to British authorities when he was lodged in a cellular jail in Andaman.

Adding his bit to the not so friendly banter, Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray who was in Delhi on Sunday wondered why the BJP was promoting Bollywood against whom it used to campaign. “I offer to sponsor his (Fadnavis) travel to Manipur, Ladakh, Darjeeling to see what is happening there. He can even ask Bollywood to make a film like Manipur Files,” said Thackeray.

Responding to Fadnavis, State Congress chief Nana Patole said the ruling side should avoid frivolous speech, and instead raise issues that affect the common people. “However, since he has made such comments on our leader, I have to remind him that films on his leader Narendra Modi, and the so-called highway man of India – Nitin Gadkari, on Savarkar and Nathuram Godse could not draw sufficient audiences. And it was Lage Raho Munnabhai with Mahatma Gandhi as leading character, that proved to be a hit. If he (Fadnavis) wishes, I too will take him to watch the movie,” said Patole.

The Congress leader said the ruling side raises irrelevant issues as it has no answers to the real ones like –price hikes, inflation, fuel price rise, unemployment and farmers’ protests. “Should not these issues be debated? Why are they wasting time on trivial matters?” Patole said.

All said and done, one can’t take Bollywood out of Indian politics, with actors over the decades making their way into Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. This time too, Hema Malini has retained her BJP ticket from Mathura, and two more Bollywood actors have found a foothold in politics courtesy BJP. While Kangana Ranaut has been fielded by BJP from Himachal’s Mandi seat, BJP has fielded Arun Govil from Meerut. Only recently, Govinda also returned to politics by joining the Eknath Shinde-led Sena.