Last night Akshay Kumar set Twitter abuzz after posting about “getting into an uncharted territory” that was making him “both nervous and excited”.
Getting into an unknown and uncharted territory today. Doing something I have never done before. Excited and nervous both. Stay tuned for updates.
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) April 22, 2019
Twitter did not hold back in telling him as it is.
He will Join BJP Today.
— Ravi Mishra (@G33kBoyRavi) April 22, 2019
It turns out that he was not going to join the party, since he technically cannot, as an “Indian-born Canadian” actor with Canadian citizenship. That has never stopped him from campaigning for the Modi government. His film, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha was nothing short of an advertisement for the government’s “Swachh Bharat” campaign. After Kumar shared the trailer with PM Modi, he replied via tweet, "Good effort to further the message of cleanliness. 125 crore Indians have to continue working together to create a Swachh Bharat,"
Met PM @narendramodi and got the opportunity to tell him about my upcoming 'Toilet-Ek Prem Katha.' His smile at just the title made my day! pic.twitter.com/qbvYrlbM2Y
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) May 9, 2017
Later, Akshay Kumar laid all speculation to rest with a tweet announcing an interview with Modi to be aired on ANI at 09:00 AM. Attaching a 24-second clip from the interview, he tweeted, "While the whole country is talking elections and politics, here's a breather. Privileged to have done this candid and COMPLETELY NON POLITICAL freewheeling conversation with our PM @narendramodi”. He also added that we must watch it for "lesser known facts about him" (Modi). The interview itself was farcical, filled with benign and ridiculous questions.
It is clear to any thinking individual that a reverential interview of this kind is scripted. In all of his term, PM Modi has not held a single press conference or been a part of a media interaction outside of his circle of sycophancy. But such a promotional gimmick at a critical time when polling is going on in many states, and the destiny of the nation is going to be decided, is unbecoming of a Prime Minister, to say the least. Since the Election Commission, finally caught on with its duties and put a ban on the Modi web series, one wonders if the interview with Akshay Kumar was a way to circumvent the mythification of the Modi mania.
We have suffered through the interview, so you don’t have to. Here are eight moments from it.
1. Kya humare Pradhan Mantri aam khaate hain? (Does our PM eat mangoes?)
2. Kya aapko gussa aata hai? Kispe niklaate ho? Aur kaise nikaalte ho? (Does the PM get angry? How do you vent it out?)
3. Aapka mann karta hai ki aapke saare rishtedaar aapke saath ghar pe rahein? (Do you not miss your family and want them to live with you?)
4. Aaj aapka bank balance kitna hai? (What is your bank balance?)
5. Agar aapko kabhi Aladdin ka chiraag miley, toh aap use kya wish maangey? (If you ever found Alladin's lamp, what three wishes would you ask for?)
6. Aap zukhaam mein kya lete hain? (What do you take in case of cold?)
7. Aapke ghar mein sabse valuable cheez kya hai? (What is the most valuable item in your house?)
8. Main khaane ko 40 baar chabata hun, aisa Shastron mein likha hai. Kya aap isse sehmat hain?" (Food must be chewed 40 times before swallowing it. That's what the Scriptures say, do you agree with this?"
