Did you happen to hear about a film called ‘Dirty Politics’ before now? If you have, Bollywood should gift you a star in the Yash Raj studios. If you haven’t, hey, you’ll survive. A Google search reveals that Dirty Politics is a film starring Mallika Sherawat, Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, and Om Puri among others. In the great tradition of Madhur Bhandarkar films, this one too seeks to reveal the dirty in Indian politics.
But that’s not what’s the most interesting bit about the film. A story carried on Mid-Day today claims that AAP convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was approached by director and producer KC Bokadia to star in the film.
If the film’s trailer is anything to go by, it explores how sleaze plays an important role in Indian politics. The plotline has Mallika Sherawat as a woman who establishes a ilicit relationship with Om Puri, who plays a powerful politician. She then shoots their sexual encounters and hands the CD over to the opposition, who now blackmails Puri to cede power to them.
The interesting bit here is Mid-Day’s source tells them that Kejriwal really liked the script Bokadia sent him. “Bokadia saab had offered Kejriwal the film as it was loosely based on his phenomenal rise from common man to chief minister. After the narration, Kejriwal had liked the script…,” the source tells Mid-Day. However, we suspect, good sense prevailed and he excused himself from the film.
The role then went to Naseeruddin Shah.
The trailer portays Naseeruddin Shah as a journalist who is trying to bring justice to the character played by Mallika Sherawat.
While there is no way to confirm if the film was really offered to Arvind Kejriwal, the fact that the makers have decided to reveal this nugget of information now is quite the PR genius.
The trailer of the film was out in December last year but no such claims were made by its makers back then. It is understandable. After all, back then Kejriwal was the chief minister who almost made it. However, Kejriwal’s story had made a complete turn now and for all you know, people might want to watch Dirty Politics as the film whose script Kejriwal liked. Or the film which Kejriwal refused!