Malayalam actor Unni Mukundan is set to star in the biopic on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, directed by Kranthi Kumar CH. The film, Maa Vande, was announced on Wednesday coinciding with the 75th birthday of the prime minister.
The biopic will trace Modi’s journey from “childhood to becoming the leader of the nation”, with emphasis on his relationship with his late mother, Heeraben Modi.
Sharing the announcement on social media, Unni Mukundan described the project as “a man’s story that rises beyond battles… to become a revolution for the ages.”
Maa Vande, which is expected to be released in English, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Gujarati, Marathi, and other Indian languages, will be directed by Kranthi Kumar with a team of well-known technicians including K Senthil Kumar, Sabu Cyril, Ravi Basur, and Sreekar Prasad. The film’s release date is yet to be announced.
The title and its tagline, ‘The anthem of a mother’, suggest the film may focus on Modi’s relationship with his mother, Heeraben Modi.
Unni Mukundan is a noted south Indian film star. He made his acting debut in 2011 with the Tamil film Seedan. The film, which also starred Dhanush , was a remake of the 2002 Malayalam film, Nandanam. He then debuted in the Malayalam film industry with the film Bombay March 12, in which he featured alongside Mammootty. This role fetched him several awards in the best debutant category.
He made his Tollywood debut with the blockbuster ‘Janatha Garage’ in 2016 and later shared screen space with Anushka Shetty in ‘Bhaagamathie’. His critically acclaimed performance in ‘Malikappuram’ (2022) further solidified his reputation as a leading star.
Biopics on political figures have often generated debate in India. In 2019, Vivek Oberoi starred in PM Narendra Modi, which faced criticism as its scheduled release coincided with the general elections. Concerns were raised by the Opposition over the film being used as political propaganda to influence the elections. Following this, the film’s release was postponed until the results. PM Narendra Modi was finally released on May 24, 2019.
Recently, Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi, a biopic on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, was also released.
Other notable political biopics include Thalaivii (2021), which chronicled Jayalalithaa’s biography and Thackeray (2019), based on Bal Thackeray’s life.