Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 13, 2019)

Almost like the flavour of the season, Indian politicians are ready to invade both big and small screens in abundance this election year. And as if three films to mark his laurels weren't enough, digitisation fan Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to get his own digital offering. mid-day has learnt that the politician's life will get a small screen adaptation by filmmaker Umesh Shukla, and writer and Censor Board member Mihir Bhuta.

Shukla tells mid-day that the 10-episode Eros Now series will not feature any celebrated faces. "The PM's story is the biggest star. If we cast a known face, the viewer will not connect with the story, and will search for the actor. So, we have cast good actors, instead," he says of the project that was "silently" under works for a year-and-a-half. "Music director Salim-Sulaiman are working on the series."

Touting his venture to be a window to tracing Modi's rise to power, Bhuta reveals that filming has already kicked off in the "real locations where Modi ji lived". "I am not interested in showcasing his work or political [agendas]. I'm interested in his personality. He has an amazing sense of humour, which few know about. He also has a deep interest in spirituality, not religion. The show follows his childhood and youth, the factors that influenced him, the way he was before, and how he emerged to be the person he is today. It concludes with him taking oath as the prime minister of India. We have started shooting in rural Gujarat, and are currently filming portions involving his youth, spent in Siddhpur and Vadnagar."

At Shukla's behest, the team employed three actors to play the PM across different stages of his life. Mahesh Thakur is set to play the politician from his journey to becoming the PM of India after his appointment as Gujarat CM. As a young adult, Modi will be depicted in the show by Ashish Sharma, Bhuta says.

He asserts that the show's release during elections is merely coincidental, and his film is unlikely to alter political opinions. Producer Sanjay Trivedi hopes to complete production work by March 15. "Everybody associated with this project believes it must reach all kinds of viewers."