Anupam Kher, Hansal Mehta clash over 'The Accidental Prime Minister' post Manmohan Singh's death

Anupam Kher and Hansal Mehta clashed on social media over ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, the controversial movie about former PM Manmohan Singh

Veteran actor Anupam Kher and Hansal Mehta got into a war of words over their movie The Accidental Prime Minister after the filmmaker agreed with a journalist that the 2019 political drama was filled with "lies" about former PM Manmohan Singh.

Singh, the architect behind India's economic reforms, passed away on Thursday night at Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the age of 92. He served as the prime minister from 2004 to 2014.

It all started with a post by senior journalist Vir Sanghvi, who on Friday labelled The Accidental Prime Minister, which was based on the memoir of Singh's former media advisor Sanjay Baru, as "one of the worst Hindi movies ever made".

Featuring Kher as former PM Singh and actor Akshaye Khanna as Baru, the movie was directed by Vijay Gutte and depicted political events and decisions during Singh's leadership, focusing on his challenges as the prime minister and influence of the Congress party on his administration.

"If you want to remember the lies that were told about Manmohan Singh you should rewatch The Accidental Prime Minister. It is not only one of the worst Hindi movies ever made but is an example of how media was used to tarnish the name of a good man," Sanghvi wrote on X.

Mehta, 56, shared Sanghvi's post and captioned it, "+100." In an earlier post, the filmmaker had condoled Singh's demise and said the nation "owes him an apology".

"More than anybody else, I owe him one. Whatever the compulsion or intent, it is a regret I will carry with a very heavy heart. Sorry, sir. Besides your achievements as an economist, Finance Minister, and Prime Minister, you were an honourable man—a rare gentleman in a vocation dominated by ruffians," Mehta had posted.