Not sure if the latest film is worth your money? Wait a while, and you might get a review from the newest film critic in town – Delhi’s aam aadmi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. His reviews are concise – just a few words long – so you don’t have to waste time reading complicated cinema-jargon. Finally, all you need to know is whether “it is a must watch” or if the Muffler Man “enjoyed it with family” and his team, right?

Often compared to Anil Kapoor’s character in Nayak, Kejriwal has lately been watching films related to issues like corruption, administration and police. So, even if you missed out on watching Gabbar Is Back, Masaan or Drishyam because you were busy, your CM did not. And obviously, Twitter has noticed. After a few of these screenings, #KejriMovies is all it can talk about.

So, who decides which film the CM should watch? Obviously, Kejriwal does. When we spoke to those who organise his film screenings, they told us, “Kejriwal ji ne kaha, ‘Humne iss film ke baare mein bahut suna hai. Humein dekhni thi par ticket mil nahin rahi hai’. Phir unke kisi dost ne producer ko phone kiya jinhone humein yahan film screening karaane ke liye kaha. We don’t have many options when it comes to a screening venue for the CM – it has to be either the Films Division, PVR’s Director’s Cut or Delite, because a group of 15-20 people, including Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas and Manish Sisodia – the core team of AAP – and his family members come to watch the films.”

While theatre owners of Delhi are feeling the heat of the increased entertainment tax and claiming that their business will go to other NCR cities, the CM prefers to attend special screenings of selected films. When questions of making these films tax-free in the capital are raised in the press conference, poet-politician Vishwas says, “Yeh toh sarkaar ka kaam hai, main sarkar nahin hoon.”

Cinema owners believe that the CM’s inclination towards films is a healthy sign. After all, he is the aam aadmi’s hero and when he declares a film a must-watch on his Twitter account, “kuch toh log aur jaenege.”

CM ko time kaise milta hai, wonder Twitterati

As the Muffler Man deals with allegations, internal strife and advertisement issues by taking a break and watching films and plays, the Twitterati too, find it hard to ignore his filmi tastes. While some say that it is his way of showing that he is paying the increased tax, others wonder how he gets the time to watch so many films. In fact, it’s not just films, he loves watching plays too, and recently, the CM and his deputy were spotted at Mahesh Bhatt’s play Humari Adhuri Kahani. His fondness for theatre might not come as so much of a surprise if we tell you that he was the head of the Hindi drama society in his college days in IIT Kharagpur.

A matter of pride for us: Actors

While others poke fun, film and theatre denizens say it is a positive sign for the entertainment industry. When the CM praised Richa Chaddha for her acting in Masaan, she was delighted and tweeted, “Now we have CM’s validation.” Imran Zahid, who acted in the play Humari Adhuri Kahaani, said, “I was so delighted that the CM and the deputy CM attended our play, because we hardly see state heads attending plays. It is a major boost to theatre and a matter pride for us.” Vinod Kapri, the director of Miss Tanakpur Haazir Ho, told us, “During the interval, Arvind Kejriwal told me ki kaafi maaza aa raha hai. I had invited many politicians, but AAP leaders were kind enough to attend the screening.”

The CM’s latest film outing was on Monday with Drishyam, which he again promptly declared a ‘must-watch’.