Going by the adage that the proof of the pudding is in its eating, no wonder that Anna Hazare wanted to see Manish Gupta's new film based on him. The social activist was apparently under the impression that the film showed him in poor light. Giving in to his request to watch the film, Gupta and producer Mridul Singhvi travelled all the way to Ralegaon Siddhi to screen the film for Anna.
A source says, `Gupta's film is a political thriller. However there were rumours that the film was anti-Anna. Gupta, who also wrote Sarkar, visited Anna at his remote village and held a private screening for him.`
Gupta incidentally explained to Hazare how his film was merely raising a question about whether it is possible to wipe out corruption by holding demonstrations against the government. To the relief of the filmmakers, Anna was quite happy. The source adds, `He laughed heartily at the irony and satire depicted in the film revolving around his own character.`
The director says, `After seeing the film, Anna spent hours with us and shared his views on corruption, the current Indian political scenario and his own past.` The senior activist even took them for a tour of his village, his ashram and the temple where he lives. Anna has apparently even promised to raise awareness about the film.