'Game Changer': Is Ram Charan's film inspired by real-life story
What's the story
The political thriller Game Changer, starring Ram Charan in a dual role as both father and son, was released theatrically on Friday.
Directed by Shankar, the film follows Charan's character—a political reformer who rises from IPS to IAS—aiming to revolutionize India's electoral system.
This narrative has sparked comparisons between Charan's character and former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan, the man credited with "cleaning up" Indian elections.
Inspiration
'Game Changer' draws inspiration from Seshan's life
In Game Changer, Charan plays Ram, an IAS officer-turned-district collector who takes on powerful politicians.
While director Shankar has been tight-lipped about whether the film is inspired by real people like Seshan, the film's antagonist SJ Suryah revealed during promotions that "Karthik Subbaraj's outline is based on a real-life incident of a Madurai collector."
Notably, Seshan was Madurai's collector early in his career before becoming Chief Election Commissioner in the 1990s.
Career parallels
'Game Changer' mirrors Seshan's career and electoral reforms
Born in 1933 in Tamil Nadu, Seshan opted for the UPSC civil services examination instead of the Madras police service.
He was appointed an IAS officer as a trainee of the 1955 Tamil Nadu cadre and eventually became Cabinet Secretary.
Game Changer draws several incidents from Seshan's life, including the protagonist choosing IAS over police service and being at loggerheads with elected officials.
Electoral reforms
Seshan's electoral reforms reflected in 'Game changer'
As India's Chief Election Commissioner from 1990 to 1996, Seshan introduced reforms that reshaped the electoral process.
He tackled rampant malpractices like voter bribing, election-time liquor distribution, and misuse of government funds for campaigning.
Game Changer reflects these reforms in its storyline. Seshan also scrutinized over 40,000 expenditure accounts and disqualified 14,000 candidates for providing false information.
Plot
'Game Changer' explores corruption and political warfare
To note, the plot of Game Changer revolves around Ram's determination to expose corruption in the political system after a family tragedy.
His father, Appanna, dreamed of a corruption-free society and Ram is committed to realizing that dream despite facing fierce opposition from the corrupt CM Bobbili Mopidevi, played by Suryah.
The film also features Kiara Advani as Ram's love interest.
Read our review here.