Mumbai:

PM Modi met with the Kapoor family in New Delhi on Tuesday, December 10, to celebrate Raj Kapoor’s cinematic legacy on the occasion of his centenary.

Some special moments from this meeting have been released by PMO. In the video PM Modi can be seen talking to Kapoor family about Raj Kapoor and his immense contribution to Indian cinema.

However, the most hilarious moment of the meeting came when PM Modi humorously said ‘Cut!’ as Reema Jain( Raj Kapoor’s daughter) started speaking to him.

It all began when Reema Jain started her conversation with PM Modi and appeared to struggle with her words while addressing him. As she tried to phrase her sentence, starting with ‘Aadarniye Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi Ji,’ PM Modi instantly interjected with ‘Cut!’ leaving everyone in splits.

The Prime Minister also asked the Kapoor family to make a movie, especially catering to Central Asia, about Raj Kapoor who is still in people’s mind after so many years. He added that we must put in efforts to make it reach to the new generations in Central Asia and urged the family to create a movie which would act as a link.

Acknowledging the love and fame received from across the globe, Ms. Reema Kapoor said that Shri Raj Kapoor can be called as ‘Cultural Ambassador’ and she lauded the Prime Minister for being the ‘Global Ambassador’ of India and the entire Kapoor family was proud of the Prime Minister.

Shri Modi emphasized that the prestige of the country had risen to great heights today and cited Yoga as an example which is discussed across the globe. He further added that he discussed Yoga and its importance with the leaders of other nations during their meet.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently met with the Kapoor family who invited him to join them in celebrating cinema icon Raj Kapoor’s 100th birth anniversary. While speaking about the power of movies, PM Modi recounted an incident when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and veteran leader LK Advani went to watch a Raj Kapoor movie after a poll defeat.

“I remember the impact of films in those days. It was during the Jana Sangh era, and there was an election in Delhi. After the party lost, Advaniji and Atalji said, ‘What should we do now?’ Then they decided, ‘Let’s watch a movie.’ They went to watch Raj Kapoor’s ‘Phir Subah Hogi.'”

The Prime Minister also spoke about Raj Kapoor’s role in establishing India’s “soft power” all over the world. “In 1947, we had ‘Neel Kamal,’ and now as we approach 2047, it reflects the immense contribution of such a vast nation. Today, there is much talk about soft power in diplomacy, but back then, Raj Kapoor had already established India’s soft power in the world even before the world was coined,” he said.

Members of the Kapoor family, including Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, were present during the interaction. The video shared by PMO also showed the Kapoor family sharing their experiences after meeting the Prime Minister.

PM Modi suggested the Kapoor family should capture the global impact of Raj Kapoor and his films through visual format.

“Can we do something, probably a film that captures Raj Kapoor’s imprint on the hearts and minds of people of Central Asia… He had a big impact on their lives in Central Asia and I think we should resurrect it and connect it with the new generation. We should do something to link this and I think it is possible,” he said.

The film festival will celebrate the centenary of Raj Kapoor, one of the most iconic figures in Indian cinema, who passed away in 1988. It showcases 10 iconic Raj Kapoor films across 40 cities and 135 cinemas, with a ticket price of Rs 100. The film festival will include screenings of classics such as ‘Aag’, ‘Barsaat’, ‘Awaara’, ‘Shree 420’, and ‘Mera Naam Joker’.