Mr. Prime Minister (2005)

Johnny Master is a romantic looking, well read, elderly bum selling newspapers in a small earthquake-ravaged, but now reasonably rehabilitated, township in the Kutch Region of the State of Gujarat in India. He is always lost to himself and lives in a dingy wooden but that he has built. By all accounts he has been living here since January 2001 when a mighty earthquake shook the region and resulted in the heart-rending devastation of the lives and property of then of thousands of people. And, as it were Johnny Master had come out of the debris of the catastrophe after having been buried underneath for two days and nights.

Then in March of 2004 the Government of The Union of India declares its Parliamentary elections. The Sarpanch The Town/ Village Elder) and the residents of the Township, are disillusioned with the incompetency of the various corrupt Governments that have come to power and just as quickly gone under due to the Multi-Party System in existence in India as permitted by the Constitution. They decide to form their own Political Party to contest the elections and make Johnny Master their chosen candidate for his forthright openness and honesty and his erudite educational background. They win hands down and Johnny becomes his people's elected representative in Parliament. But destiny has other tasks laid out for him, besides being just a Member of Parliament. His opponents in the elections that are contending for the same power join hands and have him kidnapped and subsequently tortured by their henchmen. In a very cruel and dastardly act of torture inflicted on him, Johnny Master regains his memory on to discover that he is Prem Batra, the richest Indian anywhere, having a worldwide empire and residing in England. He remembers that he had come to India on the quiet to inspect the fate of his philanthropic donations to a charitable cause in the State of Gujarat, and on the very day of his arrival had become a victim of the earthquake tragedy - having got buried incognito underneath only to lose his identity to himself.

He declares his real self to his kidnappers, buys them over, and goes back to England as Prem Batra to realize he is also in a position to buy over the corrupt lot of politicians elected to Parliament to secure a mandate to form the new Government as against the two other rivals in the field of equally unscrupulous, and shifty power-hungry politicians lobbying and horse-trading out to stake their claims for the same. The parties have cobbled up a coalition government in the making. But the upright and honest idealist-reformist Prem Batra does what is expected from an honest politician in a true democracy anywhere in the world. This forms the climax of MR. PRIME MINISTER.

Locations:

Shot on earthquake locations across two continents, "MR. PRIME MINISTER" travels from the ancient ruins of Pompei and Possuoli in Italy to the fresh rubble of Bhuj, Bachua and Adhoi in India's Kutch desert. From the lush hills of Italy to the desolate salt flats of Dholavira on the Indo-Pakistan border, heaven and earth seem to meet! From the bleakness of London to the steaming crater of Vulcana Sulftara in Italy, the historic locations speak of themselves. The Aina Mahal of Bhuj adds its own charm and elegance. 

(From the official press booklet)