Ram Charan's latest film, Game Changer, hit theaters on January 10. Directed by Shankar, this political thriller features Ram in a dual role as both a father and son. One of his characters is a political reformer who transitions from the IPS to the IAS and goes on to overhaul the Indian electoral system. When the trailer dropped, viewers quickly pointed out the uncanny resemblance between this character and a real-life reformer—former Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan, known for his efforts to 'clean up' Indian elections.

Is Game Changer inspired by TN Seshan's life?

Game Changer features Ram Charan as Ram Nandan, an IAS officer who takes on the role of a district collector and faces off against influential politicians. Director Shankar has been a bit secretive about whether the film is inspired by real figures like TN Seshan. However, during the film's promotion, the antagonist SJ Suryah mentioned, "Karthik Subbaraj's story is rooted in a true event involving a collector from Madurai. It revolves around the conflict between a politician and a collector, based on a real incident that Shankar has adapted for the big screen in a spectacular way." TN Seshan served as the collector of Madurai early in his career, and his reforms there eventually led to him becoming the Chief Election Commissioner in the 90s. While the film draws inspiration from Seshan's life and achievements, it remains largely fictional, with some similarities to his time as India's CEC.

Who exactly was TN Seshan?

TN Seshan was born in 1933 in Tamil Nadu, which was part of the Madras Presidency back then. He passed the Madras police service exam in 1953 but chose not to join. Instead, he went on to ace the UPSC civil services exam in 1954. He became an IAS officer as a trainee in the 1955 Tamil Nadu cadre. After gaining experience as a collector in different districts, he took on roles like secretary to the Atomic Energy Commission, joint secretary in the Department of Space, and secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Ultimately, he reached the top of the Indian civil service ladder as the Cabinet Secretary.

During his time in office, he clashed with top politicians and government officials on multiple occasions. Back in the 1970s, while serving as the TN secretary of industries and agriculture, he had a fallout with the chief minister at the time, which led to his resignation. Later, as the secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, he stood against the central government's proposals for the Tehri Dam and Sardar Sarovar Dam. Game Changer highlights various moments from Seshan's life, such as his decision to pursue IAS instead of a police career and his ongoing disputes with elected leaders.

TN Seshan's efforts to reform the Indian election system were game-changing

TN Seshan was the Chief Election Commissioner of India from 1990 to 1996. He played a key role in shaping the framework for Indian elections and is widely recognized for his significant electoral reforms. Seshan took strong action against various corrupt practices, such as voter bribery, intimidation, and the distribution of alcohol during elections. He also tackled the misuse of government resources for campaigning, the exploitation of caste and communal sentiments, and the unauthorized use of places of worship and loudspeakers. He introduced important measures like the election code of conduct, Voter IDs, and caps on election spending. Notably, in 1992, he made the bold decision to cancel Assembly elections in Bihar and Punjab due to serious electoral problems. Throughout his time in office, Seshan scrutinized over 40,000 expenditure reports and disqualified 14,000 candidates for providing false information. His efforts earned him the Ramon Magsaysay Prize in 1996 for his contributions to electoral reform.

TN Seshan stepped down as the Chief Election Commissioner in 1996. The following year, he ran for President but lost to KR Narayanan. In 1999, he tried his luck in the Lok Sabha elections representing Congress from Gandhinagar but was defeated by BJP's LK Advani. After that, Seshan moved away from public life and took up teaching leadership at the Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai and later at LBSNAA in Mussoorie. He passed away at his home in Chennai in 2019 at the age of 86.

Game Changer, directed by Shankar, features Ram Charan alongside Kiara Advani and SJ Suryah. The film hit theaters across the country on January 10, just in time for the Sankranthi holiday week.

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