New Delhi:

Study to pass in life, not just exams, and identify your strengths during challenging times, actors Vikrant Massey and Bhumi Pednekar told school students during an interaction on PM’s Parisha Pe Charcha aired on Sunday. The actors shared their school experiences, tackling exam stress, parental expectations and the importance of resilience at a special session of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), an annual event in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students appearing for board examinations.

In a shift from the traditional town hall format, this time the prime minister preferred a more informal setting and took the students to Delhi’s iconic Sunder Nursery for his annual interaction with them ahead of board exams.

Massey, who saw a career turnaround with the 2023 film “12th Fail”, asked students to practice the “power of visualisation”.

“We all know how to subconsciously visualise. You can take out 10 minutes a day to write about your feelings and what you wish to achieve in a journal… It’s a kind of manifestation,” he said.

“Never feel arrogant about getting good marks. Keep your eyes low and your thinking high. That’s very important. Study to pass in life, not just exams. Be kind to yourself and if you do not meet your expectations, restart,” he added.

Recalling the time she lost her father, Pednekar said she was very young when she realised she had to focus on her strengths.

“At that age you don’t realise that such a big unfortunate event has happened to you. I just knew I had to play by my strengths. Identify your strengths during challenging times… Explore new ways to learn… Like whenever I am given a scene, I try doing it in different ways,” the “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” actor said during the eighth edition of PPC.

During his school days, Massey said he was “an above average student” who was more into sports.

“I used to pick up books days before exams. We had cable TV at the time so that used to be disconnected during exams… I’m a bit sad to see today’s generation. Our playtime was all about the playground. For today’s generation, it’s mobile. Cricket, which is our country’s most favourite sport, requires one to be present in the moment. Even the prime minister says ‘The present is God’s favourite present’,” he added.

Pednekar too said she was never a frontbencher and used to enjoy participating in extracurricular activities.

“I was a very obedient student and I still am. I was mischievous but I shared a beautiful relationship with my teachers… I realised early on that I want to be an actor. I wanted my parents to be happy and proud so I used to work very hard in studies.” Children are unable to grow when the expectations of parents start to feel like a burden, added Massey.

“Express yourself. If your parents want you to become an engineer but you want to become a photographer, you should tell them what you feel. They will get convinced over a period of time because all they want for you is to be happy,” he told students.

Pednekar emphasised the importance of having a good sleep routine.

“I used to take an hour-long break in a day during exams. I would go out and play, I loved dancing, playing badminton. All that was important for me was to give my brain a break…

“When I was young, I just didn’t want to sleep. Now when I’m shooting, I quickly finish my lunch in 15 minutes and sleep for half an hour. That half an hour of sleep will give me a very focused eight hours at work,” she added.

Massey shared his three hacks on how to be an ‘Exam Warrior’.

“Eat well, rest well; keep improving; and go, play, unplug,” he said.

Asked to give her go-to tips to handle stress, Pednekar said: “Be a warrior, not a worrier. Being spiritual keeps you grounded and focused.” Previously, eminent personalities like boxer MC Mary Kom, spiritual leader Sadhguru, and Bollywood star Deepika Padukone also shared their experiences and knowledge with students on key aspects of life and learning in different episodes of Pariksha Pe Charcha this year.

The first edition of the prime minister’s interactive programme with school and college students was held at the Talkatora Stadium in February 2018. Its seventh edition was held in a town hall format at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, engaging participants from across the country and overseas.

(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 watched the movie ‘The Sabarmati Report’ on Monday along with several members of his Cabinet besides MPs from the ruling alliance at the Balyogi Auditorium in the Parliament library building.

Some members of the audience, including veteran actor Jeetendra and Raashii Khanna, who has a key role in the movie, told reporters after the meeting that Modi told them this was the first film he had watched after becoming the prime minister.

PM Modi was joined by Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Jitan Ram Manjhi, a BJP ally, among others. The film claims to reveal the truth behind the fire incident in Sabarmati Express at Godhra on February 27, 2002, killing 59 devotees returning from Ayodhya after participating in a religious ceremony.

Vikrant Massey, who played the lead protagonist, said it was a different experience watching the movie with Modi that cannot be expressed in words. He expressed his delight and appealed to the people to watch the film. This experience was the highest point in his career, he added.

In a post on X after watching the film, Modi commended the makers of the film for their effort.

Joined fellow NDA MPs at a screening of ‘The Sabarmati Report.’

I commend the makers of the film for their effort. pic.twitter.com/uKGLpGFDMA

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 2, 2024

Jeetendra told reporters that this was the first time he had watched a film with the prime minister due to his daughter Ekta Kapoor, one of its producers.

“He (PM Modi) told me that it was the first movie he has seen after becoming prime minister,” one of the Hindi film industry’s leading actors of his times said. Actor Raashii Khanna also made a similar comment and expressed delight at the experience.

The ruling BJP has actively promoted the movie, with many of its state governments making it tax-free.

PM Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat at the time of the incident, which was followed by communal riots, and the state police had blamed a Muslim mob for setting some of the train coaches on fire. Many accused chargesheeted by the police were later convicted in court.

The incident had triggered a major political row as an enquiry commission constituted by the then railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, a Congress ally, had claimed that the fire was an accident.

The Gujarat High Court had, however, quashed its findings and termed the commission unconstitutional. 

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

New Delhi:

A fake narrative can persist only for a limited period before the facts come out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in his response to The Sabarmati Report movie that released this Friday.

The movie, starring Vikrant Massey of 12th fail and Mirzapur fame, captures the events leading to the 2002 train burning incident near Gujarat’s Godhra station. Fifty-nine passengers, many of them Hindu pilgrims travelling to Ayodhya to attend a religious event, died in the train fire that was later found to be an act of arson. Shortly after the train burning incident, riots broke out in Godhra, leading to over a 1,000 deaths. At the time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was Gujarat’s Chief Minister.

Reacting to a post that recommended The Sabarmati Report as a must-watch, the Prime Minister said in a post on X, “Well said. It is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people can see it. A fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time. Eventually, the facts will always come out!”

The Sabarmati Report has made Rs 1.69 crore at the box office on its opening day. It has been produced by the Ektaa R Kapoor-helmed Balaji Motion Pictures and directed by Dheeraj Sarna. Besides Mr Massey, it stars Raashii Khanna and Riddhi Dogra in key roles.