Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Kapoor family on Tuesday in Delhi and remembered the life and legacy of cinema icon Raj Kapoor. Raj Kapoor established India’s soft power in the world at a time when that word was not even coined, he said during a candid chat with the Kapoors.
“In the diplomatic world, we talk a lot about soft power. And at a time when this phrase didn’t even exist, Raj Kapoor sahab established India’s soft power all over the world. It was his big service to India,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister met Raj Kapoor’s daughter Rima Jain, daughter-in-law Neetu Kapoor and grandchildren – actors Karisma Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Aadar Jain and Armaan Jain.
Alia Bhatt and Saif Ali Khan were also present at the meeting.
Prime Minister, while talking abo the power of cinema, he narrated an incident about former Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani.
“In the Jan Sangh era, there were elections in Delhi and they lost the election. So Advani ji and Atal ji said, ‘We lost the elections, what should we do now? So let’s see a movie.’ “They went to see a movie and it was Raj Kapoor’s ‘Phir Subah Hogi’ (1958) and then there was a new morning,” he said.
He also recalled that during one of his China visits, the hosts were playing songs from Raj Kapoor’s movies.
“I asked my team to record it on a mobile and I sent it to Rishiji (Kapoor). And he was so happy,” PM Modi said.
During the meeting, Ranbir Kapoor on behalf of the Kapoor family, invited the Prime Minister for the Raj Kapoor Film Festival.
Spanning 101 cinemas across 34 cities from December 13 to 15, the gala — organised by PVR INOX Limited and the Film Heritage Foundation — will be one of the most extensive retrospectives ever dedicated to Raj Kapoor’s filmography.
December 14, 2024 marks the 100th birth anniversary of Raj Kapoor, an actor, editor, a director, and producer, known for classics such as “Aag”, “Awara”, “Barsaat”, “Shree 420”, and “Bobby”.
NDTV News-India-news