Hindi filmmakers’ obsessions with biopics don’t seem to end anytime soon. In the last few years, the Hindi film industry has churned out more than a score of biographical films, with some going on to set new box-office records. In fact, as many as six biopics released in 2018 and the first quarter of this year has already seen three, with yet another, PM Narendra Modi due to hit theatres, April 15.
That said, PM Narendra Modi, is one of the rare films revolving around the life of a political personality. While, Sir Richard Attenborough’s multiple Oscar-winning Gandhi continues to be the most-celebrated biographical made on an Indian statesman, there haven’t been too many the century-old Indian film Hindi film industry can boast of. But then again, Gandhi was never an Indian film officially.
Perhaps the only two other biopics that remain fresh in the collective memory of the nation are Ketan Mehta’s Sardar (1993) and Jabbar Patel’s Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000), with lukewarm response meted out to the recently released Thackeray.
Cut to the west, and the American film industry has time and again dished out poignant tales on some of their greatest presidents and political figures. And most of those films went on to become classics. Let’s take a look at a few of the most gripping biopics dished out from the stable of some of best filmmakers.
The Last Emperor (1987)
Directed by the legendary Bernardo Bertolucci, this British-Indian biographic revolves around the life of Puyi, the last emperor of China. The film traces Puyi’s journey as a small boy, when he accented the throne, to his arrest by the Red Army at the end of the World War II and his eventual political rehabilitation by the Communist party of China.
The film went on to win nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
JFK (1991)
A political thriller examining the events leading to the infamous assassination of US President John F Kennedy and the alleged cover-up, this Oliver Stone film ran into controversy but received critical praise. JFK later emerged a box-office winner and also went on to secure two Academy Awards.
Malcolm X (1992)
Director Spike Lee casts Denzel Washington as the controversial black American Muslim human rights activist Malcolm X in the film of the same name. The film traces some of the most important events in Malcolm X’s life — his criminal career, incarceration, conversion to Islam, his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam, marriage to Betty X, pilgrimage to Mecca and eventual assassination.
Nixon (1995)
Four years after making JFK, Oliver Stone this time chose to make a film on the life of Richard Nixon, one of America’s most controversial Presidents. And who else but Sir Anthony Hopkins could have done justice to the role. The film tells the story of Nixon’s political and personal life, from his days as a young boy to his eventual presidency that ended with the Watergate scandal.
Evita (1996)
Madonna plays the eponymous Evita Peron, the most loved and hated figure in Argentina in this hit musical. The film traces the life of Eva Duarte as a B-grade actress, her rise to fame after her marriage to Argentine President Juan Peron, her political career and eventual death at the age of 33.
The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Director Kevind McDonald casts Forest Whitaker as the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin that won him the coveted Best Actor Oscar in this historical drama. The film is based on events during Amin’s regime in the 1970s, seen through the eyes of his personal physician Nicholas Garrigan.
Frost/Nixon (2008)
Ron Howard’s celluloid adaptation of Peter Morgan’s famous play of the same name revolves around the post-Watergate television interviews between British journalist David Frost and former US President Richard Nixon in 1977. The film stars Michael Sheen as Frost and Frank Langella as Nixon.
W. (2008)
Oliver Stone in his third film on American Presidency chronicles the life of President George W Bush. The film traces the life of Bush as a college student, relationship with his President father George H W Bush, career at an oil patch to his eventual presidency and invasion of Iraq following the 9/11 terror attack on World Trade Center.
The Iron Lady (2010)
Meryl Streep won her 17th Oscar nomination, ultimately winning the award for the third time, portraying British stateswoman and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The biographical is based on the life and career of first ever female and longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Lincoln (2012)
One of the finest filmmakers, Steven Spielberg, ropes in one of the greatest actors of all times, Daniel Day Lewis, to play the iconic American President Abraham Lincoln in this historical drama. The film chronicles Lincoln’s final four months in 1865 and the efforts to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives. Lewis won the Oscar for Best Actor, thus making him the only actor in history to have three wins in the lead actor category.
PNN