In soft diplomacy outreach, PM meets film stars, cricketers, startup biggies
BENGALURU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in Bengaluru for Aero India, met stars from the film, business and cricketing fraternity over dinner on Sunday, at the Raj Bhavan.
Among them were Rishab Shetty, Yash and Ashwini Puneeth, wife of the late actor. After the interaction, an elated Rishab Shetty said, “I consider PM Modi a great leader and I am very happy to meet him. He spoke about the Kannada film industry, and sought to know what is going on and what the film community requires.’’
On Kantara, the movie which grossed about Rs 400 crore at the box office, he said, “The Prime Minister appreciated Kantara.”
Modi also met superstar Yash, whose film KGF has been one of the biggest hits in Kannada, and appreciated the work of filmmakers from Karnataka in particular, and South India in general, and said they have given a boost to Indian culture. In his meeting with the PM, Yash said, “He heard us out on our expectations, and shared his vision for the industry.
I was impressed with the knowledge he has about the minute details of the industry, he called it soft power. He appreciated our work... it was very inspiring to meet the Prime Minister.” Modi, who met Ashwini Puneeth, remembered the late superstar Puneeth Rajkumar. It may be recalled that Ashwini had expressed gratitude that the government had named a road after the actor recently.
On meeting Prime Minister Modi, social media influencer Shraddha Jain aka Aiyyo Shraddha tweeted, “We shook hands as I entered the room & he said, “Aiyyo” — prefix to my social media handle...He told us how proud he was about the way the South Indian film industry has showcased the beauty of our country. It was a privilege to meet PM Modi, he’s an inspiration to every Indian. Had a wonderful discussion with him, and he shared his vision for a greater India.’’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also interacted with cricketers Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Anil Kumble, Mayank Agarwal and Manish Pandey.
Former pacer Venkatesh Prasad said, “It was a privilege to meet PM Modi, he is an inspiration to every Indian... It was a dream come true for me.’’
The Prime Minister met achievers from the startup world, Zerodha’s Nikhil and Nithin Kamath, and Ather Energy’s Tarun Mehta, and listened to their concerns about startups and shared his thoughts with them.