Feeling jittery? UP CM Akhilesh Yadav wants a screening of 'Shorgul'

Jimmy Sheirgill in a still from the film and (inset) UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav

Jimmy Sheirgill's upcoming political drama, based on the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, seems to have set the cat among the pigeons. After the trailer of Shorgul was launched last week, the makers have apparently been receiving calls from several bureaucrats' offices every other day to watch the final cut since the film threatens to unravel political
conspiracies.

Jimmy Sheirgill in a still from the film and (inset) UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav

Sources reveal Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has asked the makers to arrange a special screening of the film in Lucknow. The Muzaffarnagar massacre had left more than 60 dead and 50,000 displaced with local officials being blamed for mishandling the situation that aggravated the riots. The UP government was recently given a clean chit in the case.

"The film deals with political scams and bureaucratic misdoings. Moreover, the main characters are modelled after real life UP politicians like Yadav himself (played by Sanjay Suri), and controversial leaders, Azam Khan and Sangeet Singh Som. And having former Union minister Kapil Sibal on board as lyricist will certainly give it a political spin. So, the makers are getting a lot of calls about the film, some loaded with threats to stop the release later this month," says a source.

When we contacted Samira Kelkar, CEO of 24 FPS Films, which is producing Shorgul, she said, "We are getting numerous calls, some even threatening to burn down our office. However, our plans of release remain unchanged. A lot of research has gone into making of the film and unveil the truth. And we are open to the idea of arranging a screening for Yadav, subject to his availability."