Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (February 8, 2026) said that his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim is a “big fan” of MGR, just like “several of us in India,” as a song from the Tamil actor’s movie ‘Naalai Namathe’ was presented during a lunch hosted for the Indian leader.

PM Modi in Malaysia LIVE

Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, was a popular Indian actor, director and producer who founded Tamil Nadu’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party and went on to become Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister. He died in 1987.

‘Naalai Namadhe’ is one of the actor’s several blockbusters, released in 1975.

“At the lunch hosted by my friend, PM Anwar Ibrahim, one of the songs sung was Naalai Namathe, from a movie starring the great MGR!,” PM Modi posted on X. 

Mr. Modi added that “PM Anwar Ibrahim, like several of us in India, is a big fan of MGR!” Malaysia has the second-largest Indian-origin community, mostly Tamils, in the world.

Earlier, PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Malaysia, while addressing a community programme in Kuala Lumpur, said that “members of the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia are serving society in various fields and noted that the Tamil diaspora has been present in Malaysia for many centuries.”

He said that, inspired by this history, India had established the Thiruvalluvar Chair at the University of Malaya and would now set up a Thiruvalluvar centre to further strengthen shared heritage. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at the Perdana Putra building in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (February 8, 2026), as part of his ongoing two-day official visit to Malaysia.

The ceremonial reception at Perdana Putra took place after PM Modi’s arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (February 7, 2026), when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally welcomed him at the airport. Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Ramanan Ramakrishnan and Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman bin Awang Sauni were also present to extend the welcome.

The arrival ceremony featured a red-carpet welcome accompanied by traditional music and dance performances, celebrating the shared cultural heritage between India and Malaysia. Reflecting on the warm reception, PM Modi posted on X: “Deeply touched by the warm welcome extended by my friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the airport. I look forward to our conversations and to further strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and Malaysia.”

Later, both Prime Ministers travelled together in the same vehicle to the venue of an Indian community event in Kuala Lumpur, which PM Anwar Ibrahim also attended. Sharing an update on X, PM Modi wrote, “Celebrating the India-Malaysia people-to-people connect! PM Anwar Ibrahim and I are heading to the community programme in Kuala Lumpur.”

Following these welcoming engagements, PM Modi and PM Anwar Ibrahim are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral discussions on Sunday (February 8, 2026). The talks are expected to result in multiple agreements aimed at expanding cooperation across various sectors.

In his departure statement before the visit, PM Modi had set the tone by highlighting the priorities of the engagement. “The historic ties between India and Malaysia have seen steadfast progress in recent years. I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and further enhancing our comprehensive strategic partnership,” he said. “We will aim to deepen our defence and security ties, enhance our economic and innovation partnership, and expand our collaboration into new domains.”

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal underscored the importance of the visit, stating that it carries a “rich agenda and will give a major boost to the special partnership between India and Malaysia”. “The visit is expected to impart significant momentum to our close & multi-faceted partnership,” he added.

This marks PM Narendra Modi’s third visit to Malaysia and his first since the two countries upgraded their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in August 2024.