Javed Akhtar's denial on Twitter stirred up a storm and quickly became a top trend. Highlights Javed Akhtar said he was "shocked" to find his name in PM's biopic His denial stirred up a storm and quickly became a top trend on Twitter The biopic of PM Modi features actors Vivek Oberoi and Boman Irani The biopic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi features some prominent names from Bollywood like actors Vivek Oberoi and Boman Irani. A trailer from the biopic, released on Wednesday, even credits Javed Akhtar as a lyricist. Except, the poet-lyricist says he has not written songs for "PM Narendra Modi". Mr Akhtar's denial on Twitter stirred up a storm and quickly became a top trend. Sharing a still from the biopic's trailer that shows the credits, Mr Akhtar said he was "shocked to find his name" there. The screenshot from "PM Narendra Modi" trailer credited Javed Akhtar at the bottom of the poster as a lyricist along with Central Board of Film Certification chief and well-known lyricist Prasoon Joshi, Sameer and others. Javed Akhtar's tweet has been liked over 15,000 times and retweeted over 5,600 times. The filmmakers are yet to respond to the controversy. Am shocked to find my name on the poster of this film. Have not written any songs for it ! pic.twitter.com/tIeg2vMpVG - Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) March 22, 2019 Activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan supported Javed Akhtar and called the credit "defamatory". Twitter was a divided house with many claiming that the lyricist credited could be a different Javed Akhtar while others asked Mr Akhtar to file a defamation suit against the filmmakers. Many even attacked the poet-lyricist possibly for his past views of maintaining cultural ties with Pakistan prior to the Pulwama attack. Javed Akhtar and his actor wife Shabana Azmi had previously been vocal supporters of cultural exchange with Pakistan. However, after the Pulwama attack of February 14, in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed, the couple immediately called for halting cultural exchange programmes. Javed Akhtar in a tweet also declared that he cannot attend a cultural exchange in Karachi. Shabani Azmi had tweeted: I am filled with pain and grief and all else ..by the dastardly #Pulwama attack . For the 1st time in all these years I feel weakened in my belief that people to people contact can force the Establishment to do the right thing.We will need to call halt to cultural exchange - Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) February 15, 2019 "PM Narendra Modi" has Vivek Oberoi essaying the role of PM Modi. The film has been directed by seasoned biopic director Omung Kumar, who also has Sarbjit and Mary Kom to his credit. The trailer was launched at a multiplex in Mumbai by the film's cast and crew. The movie is scheduled to be released on April 5.<doc-sep>Sandip Ssingh, producer of an upcoming biopic on PM Narendra Modi, says has always shown interest in stories of an individual's journey. In an interview to Outlook, Ssingh talks about the biopic and the controversy surrounding lyricist Javed Akhtar's name. Q: What made you produce a movie on PM Narendra Modi? A: This question is always being asked to me. It is very simple, he is a person whose story needs to be told because his journey is incredible. It is a journey that inspires, it is a journey that motivates you to do something for the nation. I really believe that this story should have been told much earlier to inspire 1.3 billion people of this country. When I heard this story, I instantly decided to research and it got me involved completely and here we are. Q: Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar said he has not written any song for ‘PM Narendra Modi’ and is "shocked" to find his name in the credits of the film’s trailer. What do you have to say about this? A: T-series is the official music partner of our film and we have taken the songs Ishwar Allah from the film 1947: Earth and Suno Gaur Se Duniya Walon from the film Dus. Thus we have given due credits to Javed Sahab. Q: What did you keep in mind when working on the storyline? A: I kept in mind the simplicity, the humanity and the inspiration this man is. I wanted to tell the story of this common man, a story of a visionary, who thought of serving the nation. From a Chaiwala to becoming the PM of India, his journey is nothing but motivating. Q: How is this biopic different from your other biopics? A: Aligarh, Sarabjit, Mary Kom -- all these films had different journeys and stories. Every story has a different side to it; it is about the way we look at it, make it and present it. This one was definitely challenging as it is about a living legend, its a biopic on the serving Prime Minister of our country. We wanted the film to look like a commercial film and not a documentary exactly like the other biopics I have been a part of. Q: What points did you keep in mind when looking for an actor to play the role of PM Modi? A: I was very sure that I was looking for an actor who is experienced and passionate. I wanted the actor to dedicate one year to understand the journey before the shoot begins. When I spoke to Vivek, he immediately agreed. Together we have rehearsed, watched PM's speeches, and interviews. Vivek gave approximately 15 look tests before we got the final one. Each look test needed seven to eight hours of make up each day. Q: Why did you choose Vivek Oberoi as Narendra Modi for your film? A: Vivek made an unconventional debut with movie Company and also gave Saathiya in the same year. He has proved himself as an actor. He has approximately 18 years of experience and has done versatile roles. I think his personality suited the role. I have not seen anyone dedicated and focussed like him. Q: How long did it take to complete the movie? A: The making took less time, approximately 39 days; but it was the thought - the courage to make the film that took almost four years. Whenever I took an initiative, I was demotivated by everyone around me. Everyone said that I can't tell this story and nobody will allow me to make the film. But I had faith in the story so I went ahead and finally here we are. The film is completed in just 39 days of shoot. I hope the film inspires the nation. Q: Are you keeping in mind the election time for the release of the movie? A: I am a filmmaker, focusing on just making the film. I am just a citizen, a small part of this big country. All we filmmakers do is make films, we cannot keep elections or any other aspects in mind. We just want to tell the story that has inspired us and hope that it inspires the country. Q: How is this movie special to you? A: I have been a part of films like Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Rowdy Rathore, Sarabjit, Aligarh, Bhoomi. However, this film is very special and close to my heart. We have learnt film making through this movie. The film will traverse the journey of Narendra Modi from his humble beginnings to becoming the Prime Minister of India. It has been shot across Gujarat, Uttarakhand and some bits have been shot in Mumbai and Benaras. For in-depth, objective and more importantly balanced journalism, Click here to subscribe to Outlook Magazine<doc-sep>Mumbai: Veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar on Friday said he has not written any song for Vivek Oberoi-starrer "PM Narendra Modi" and he is shocked to find his name in the credits of the film's trailer. The 74-year-old writer shared a photo of the credits, where his name appears alongside other lyricists Prasoon Joshi, Sameer, Abhendra Kumar Upadhyay, Sardaraa, Parry G and Lavraj. "(I) am shocked to find my name on the poster of this film. Have not written any songs for it!" Akhtar wrote on the microblogging site. Am shocked to find my name on the poster of this film. Have not written any songs for it ! pic.twitter.com/tIeg2vMpVG — Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) March 22, 2019 His post was retweeted by his wife, veteran actor Shabana Azmi. The first trailer of the Omung Kumar-directed biopic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, featuring Oberoi in the lead, released on Wednesday. The film, which also features Boman Irani, Manoj Joshi, Zarina Wahab and Prashant Narayanan, releases on April 5 Countrywide.<doc-sep>
Sandip Ssingh says Javed Akhtar could have shared his grievance personally. Sandip Ssingh says Javed Akhtar could have shared his grievance personally. Producer Sandip Ssingh, whose latest film PM Narendra Modi is embroiled in a controversy after Javed Akhtar expressed shock over getting a credit for a song in the biopic, says the noted lyricist could have shared his grievance personally. The 74-year-old writer’s name was mentioned in the credits of the film’s trailer alongside lyricists Prasoon Joshi, Sameer, Abhendra Kumar Upadhyay, Sardaraa, Parry G and Lavraj. “Javed sahab is a senior writer in our country. We have grown up listening to his songs. We have used one of his old songs ‘Ishwar Allah’ from ‘1947:Earth’ and gave him credit. T-series is our music partner. “I did not get any call from him and so I also did not call him. He spoke about it on Twitter, so even I replied there. But he could have called us,” Ssingh told PTI. Apart from Akhtar, another veteran lyricist, Sameer, had said that he was surprised to find his name in the credits. In his response, Ssingh said on Saturday that they gave a credit to Sameer because they had incorporated his song “Suno gaur se duniya walon” from the film Dus. The trailer of the Omung Kumar-directed film, featuring Vivek Oberoi in the lead, released on Wednesday. When asked about the response to the trailer, Ssingh said, “We can’t always have everyone like our work. We welcome all the criticism and we will learn from it.” The film, which also features Boman Irani, Manoj Joshi, Zarina Wahab and Prashant Narayanan, releases on April 5.