Moscow premieres film on Putin

Controversial Russian film A Kiss - Off the Record premiered in Moscow on Monday.

The film is the life-story of a politician that very much resembles that of the Russian leader, but at no point does it mention Putin's name.

The main character speaks German, lives in Saint Petersburg and has a secretive job. He goes on to marry a stewardess, becomes the father of two daughters and is elected President - all details which tally with Putin's own life.

But the filmmakers remain ambiguous about the correlation between the storyline and real life events, claiming it's just a movie about a woman who fell in love with a politician, rather than a romantic tale about the Russian leader.

They claim that it is a love story first of all, not a documentary.

"Of course there are certain facts in our movie which coincide with the life of our leader, but we tried to focus not on the life of a leader as the life of a politician. We were interested in the other side of the story", film producer Anatoly Voropaev said.

"It's about a woman, about her love, about her man.", said Darya Mikhailova, who plays the president's wife.

One of the premiere guests Natalya Serebrovskaya from Saint Petersburg, who knew Vladimir Putin when he worked in the Saint Petersburg's Mayor Office, said the main character very much resembles the acting president.

The movie was shot from 2002 to 2003 in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Dresden and Berlin, and it was already completed five years ago.

There have been rumours that the Kremlin delayed the release. A Kiss - Off the Record will be distributed only on DVD on 14 February.

The movie was shot from 2002 to 2003 in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Dresden and Berlin, and it was already completed five years ago