NEW DELHI: In an ‘informal’ and ‘apolitical’ interview at the Prime Minister’s residence, Narendra Modi spoke to Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar about his love for mangoes, his friendship with the opposition and post-retirement plans. Kumar said the focus of the interview was to get to know about the person Modi is. He opened with a question that his driver’s daughter was curious about. Does the PM like to eat mangoes? The PM confessed that his love for mangoes went back to his childhood days when he enjoyed the ripened fruit from the trees.
On Tuesday, Kumar had tweeted, “Do you ever wonder whether PM Modi manages to laugh during the heat of the election campaign? You’ll get the answer tomorrow at 9am @ANI, in an informal and non-political conversation that I got the chance to do with @narendramodi ji. Do watch!” Post the interview, Twitter saw #ModiwithAkshay trending.
Modi said “it may cost him in the elections” to say this but West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sends him kurtas that she selects herself every year. He added that Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina sends him sweets from Dhaka three to four times a year. “When Mamata came to know of this, she also started sending me sweets once or twice a year,” he said.
On his equation with former US President Barack Obama, he said Obama asks him to extend his sleep hours for the sake of his health. On his camaraderie with Obama, he said, “Hum dono acche dost hain (We are good friends).”Asked if he had aspired to become the PM, he said that given his ‘humble background’, his mom would have celebrated if he had landed a normal job. On his memes on social media, he said he enjoys the creativity behind them.