‘”When I was in China, a song by your father was being played,” Modi told Ranbir.’
IMAGE: Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor with Prime Minister Narendra D Modi. Photograph: Kind courtesy Alia Bhatt/Instagram
Prime Minister Narendra D Modi gave Taimur Ali Khan and Jeh Ali Khan a prized possession but everyone is curious about the kind of conversations Modiji had with the Kapoor khandaan.
And it turns out that Modiji has quite a few Raj Kapoor anecdotes.
IMAGE: The prime minister with clockwise: Neetu Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Nitasha Nanda, Nikhil Nanda, Alia Bhatt, Bharat Sahni, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Manoj Jain and Rima Jain. Photograph: Kind courtesy Alia Bhatt/Instagram
Modi recalled an incident involving Bharatiya Janata Party veterans L K Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying: ‘I remember the impact of films in those days. It was during the Jan Sangh era, and there was an election in Delhi.
‘After the party lost, Advaniji and Atalji said, “What should we do now?” Then they decided, “Let’s watch a movie.” They went to watch Raj Kapoor’s Phir Subah Hogi.’
Photograph: Kind courtesy Alia Bhatt/Instagram
Modi recounted another memory involving the late Rishi Kapoor.
‘When I was in China, a song by your father was being played,’ Modi told Ranbir.
‘I told my colleagues to record it on their phones, and I sent it to Rishiji. He was so delighted by it.’
Photograph: Kind courtesy Karisma Kapoor/Instagram
Modi also spoke about Raj Kapoor’s role in establishing Indian cinema’s global influence long before the term ‘soft power’ became popular.
‘In 1947, we had Neel Kamal, and now as we approach 2047, it reflects the immense contribution of such a vast nation. Today, there is much talk about soft power in diplomacy, but back then, Raj Kapoor had already showcased India’s strength in this area to the world,’ he said.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Karisma Kapoor/Instagram
A video shared by the prime minister’s office showed the Kapoor family sharing their experiences after meeting Modi.
‘This is a special day for us. We enjoyed the conversation. We also asked him many personal questions. He spoke to us in a friendly manner. He made all of us feel very comfortable. We are grateful to him,’ Ranbir said.
‘It was my dream to sit next to PM Modi and talk to him. His energy is so positive and he is truly a global leader,’ Kareena shared.
Photograph: Kind courtesy Alia Bhatt/Instagram
The Kapoors called on Modi to invite him to the Raj Kapoor film festival on the legendary showman’s centenary.
Raj Kapoor, one of the most iconic figures in Indian cinema, was born on December 14, 1924 and he passed away in May 1988 soon after winning the Dadasaheb Phalke award, India’s highest honour for achievements in cinema.
The festival will showcase 10 iconic Raj Kapoor films across 40 cities and 135 cinemas, with a ticket price of Rs 100.
