Nov. 13: Telugu films have long been a fount of "inspiration" for Tollygunge's remake-happy moviemakers. Now many in Bengal are crediting a Telugu film with supplying the inspiration even for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest blockbuster.

When Prathinidhi (Representative) was released in April 2014, it had unsurprisingly caused no ripples in faraway Bengal, where the local taste for Telugu movies is largely confined to B-grade productions.

Now, following the demonetisation bombshell, the film seems to have caught the imagination of the youth from Kakdwip to Krishnagar. People are downloading the movie or watching it online, aided by the English subtitles, even in rural Bengal.

In Prashanth Mandava's political thriller-drama, the protagonist kidnaps the chief minister to press for the replacement of all existing currency to beat counterfeiters, black money hoarders and corrupt politicians.

Of the several prints of the film on YouTube, the cleanest had been viewed nearly 20 lakh times by this evening. Anecdotal evidence suggests a recent surge in viewing, driven mainly by Bengal.

In the film, the journalist who holds the chief minister hostage first says that all he wants is a valid 1,000-rupee note in lieu of a fake note an ATM had dispensed to him. When the government agrees, he tweaks his demand.

"Since childhood, I have had great admiration for Mahatma Gandhi, who advocated non-violence and prohibition," he says. "But we go to the butcher in the morning with a 100-rupee note bearing his face to buy meat, and in the evening we go to the wine shop with a 1,000-rupee note. Even then, Gandhi is seen smiling on the note."

He adds: "Therefore, please remove Gandhi's face from the note you give me. Cancel all the old notes; then I'll free the chief minister."

People are shown rallying behind the journalist. Eventually, he frees the chief minister without his demand being met, telling the public he had pulled his stunt to prod them into growing a social conscience.

Some young people in Bengal who have watched the film said they were convinced that it was one of the sources from where Modi had got his idea.

"I had read about the likes of Anil Bokil (a Pune-based social activist) being the brain behind the Prime Minister's initiative. But later, I heard about this film and watched it. The film seems to have pioneered the idea," Palash Debnath, a Nadia resident and Telugu film enthusiast, said.

Mandava, the director, said he was happy that his message had become a reality. "This is what we spoke about years ago and now it's coming true in real life. It's a pleasure to know that we were right in prescribing this remedy," he told this newspaper.

Coincidentally, the lead actor, Nara Rohit, is related to Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who has long advocated a ban on 1,000 and 500-rupee notes to check corruption. Naidu had written to Modi last month on the subject.

In 2014, Naidu, then an Opposition leader in undivided Andhra Pradesh, had thrown his weight behind Prathinidhi by attending its promotional events.

Analysts say the Telugu Desam chief wants to target his political rival Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who is accused of amassing thousands of crores during the reign of his father Rajasekhara Reddy as Congress chief minister.

Besides Prathinidhi, a small clip from another movie has been circulating on social media since the night of Modi's announcement.

Taken from Bichagadu (Beggar), a dubbed Telugu version of the Tamil Pichaikkaran, directed by Sasi and released earlier this year, the clip shows a beggar calling a radio station to share his idea of eradicating poverty by eliminating black money.

"Ban all 500 and 1,000-rupee notes. The reason for poverty in India is corruption and black money," the caller, who seeks alms at a temple, says to the amusement of the radio jockey.

"If someone has to stash hundreds of crores of black money, he would require a big house in place of the big suitcases that are used now. There will also be the fear of the police and income-tax raids.

"Such people would then be forced to put their money in the banks legally and pay tax. Such money will ensure there is no poverty and no beggars in the country."

An April Fool prank by Akila, a Rajkot-based evening newspaper, which had claimed the government would scrap 500 and 1,000-rupee notes, too has become a social media sensation.

"I have watched Prathinidhi and the clip from the other film. I have received the forward about the newspaper article too. Very few people take these things seriously, but they are looking very interesting in the current context," Arijit Sen, a Calcutta techie, said.

He felt the parallels between the films and Modi's decision were coincidental. "But you never can tell," he smiled.