Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: “Mere Pyare Prime Minister is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi”

In a talk at the RISE Summit, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra spoke about his upcoming film and the issue of sanitation, which he has been helping to tackle since the last four years via his association with an non-governmental organization (NGO)

Mehra says the inspiration for his upcoming directorial ‘Mere Pyare Prime Minister’ comes from Mahatma Gandhi, who was a warrior on sanitation issues, reports News 18.

“When it comes to cinema, it is entertainment first as that’s what brings the people in. The purpose has to be built into the cinema, along with the entertainment. My next film ‘Mere Pyare Prime Minister’ is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi. Shot in Mumbai, our set is called Gandhinagar,” Mehra said in a statement. He went on to say, “Few people know that Mahatma Gandhi was a warrior on sanitation issues.”

To lighten the heavy load, Mehra added that what attracted him to the subject of sanitation was that, “when you gotta go, you gotta go.”

Mehra has been associated with the Yuva Unstoppable NGO, which has been working towards building toilets in slum areas and municipal schools. Asked about whether the fact that he is from Bollywood helped, he said it “opened some doors” for him. However, he added that “you have to guard against people associating with you for the wrong reasons.”

Mehra was felicitated as a ‘RISE’ Citizen, along with Swaroop Rawal, whose doctoral degree in 2006 on ‘The role of drama in enhancing life skills in children with specific learning difficulties in a Mumbai school’, gave her a new calling to be relevant to society.

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