The shooting of political drama The Accidental Prime Minister, starring Anupam Kher as former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, has begun in London. The actor says it's an "immense challenge".

The film is based on a book by Sanjaya Baru, a former media advisor to Manmohan Singh.

Anupam said in a statement: "The opportunity of portraying a contemporary personality like Dr Manmohan Singh in The Accidental Prime Minister is an immense challenge for me as an actor. He is part of a 24/7 media era where the world knows his persona minutely. I have been internalising this character for the past few months. I look forward to translating that effort into cinematic reality."

The actor shared his first look from the film on his Twitter page.

The film is directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, along with Hansal Mehta as the creative producer. It also features Akshaye Khanna as Baru. The script of the film, produced by Bohra Bros, is written by Mayank Tewari.

The Accidental Prime Minister is slated for release on December 21.