Mumbai:
The Kapoor family recently met the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in the national capital.
The family prepared well in advance to meet the PM, discussed internally on their WhatsApp group about how they would address him.
Bollywood superstar Ranbir Kapoor told PM Modi, “Last week, on our whatsapp family group, we decided how to address you as Prime Minister, Prime Minister sir. Reema aunty called me daily asking if she could say this, or say that”.
PM Modi assured them that they can address him as per their choice, and asked them to consider him a member of their family. Reema Jain, the daughter of Raj Kapoor told PM Modi, “Respected Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi”, before the PM chimed in and said, “Cut” thereby lighting up the mood in the room.
Reema further mentioned, “In such a precious time, you have invited everyone here on Raj Kapoor’s 100th birthday. We thank you. And I remembered a couple of lines from Papa’s movie. I will not live, you will not live, but there will be memories. You have given so much love and respect to today’s India. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given so much respect to the Kapoor family. It is a great honour for me to welcome you. And Raj Kapoor’s 100th birthday is the golden age of India’s film industry”.
Elsewhere during the conversation, PM Modi was seen talking to the Kapoor family about Raj Kapoor. He shared how Raj Kapoor was so ahead of his time as he established India as a ‘soft power’, when the word wasn’t even coined, among the people across the globe with his stories.
He said, “In 1947, we had ‘Neel Kamal’, and now in 2047, as we approach a 100-year journey, it symbolises the immense contribution of such a vast nation. Today, in the diplomatic world, there’s much talk about soft power.
Back then, the term ‘soft power’ didn’t even exist, but Raj Kapoor had already established India’s strength in this domain globally”. December 14, 2024 marks the centenary of Raj Kapoor, who is widely regarded as one of the biggest cinematic forces of India. He was born in Peshawar (present day Pakistan), and was the eldest son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor.
Raj Kapoor starred in and produced many films for which he received multiple accolades, including three National Film Awards.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)