The recent interview of Prime Minister Modi with Akshay Kumar organised by ANI, reflected the non political personality that Narendra Modi is. A light hearted talk between the two distinguished personalities in their own respective fields had nothing to do with politics. The opposition and liberal media however chose to make it as political as possible by mocking the Prime Minster.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala took a jibe at PM Modi and his interview by calling Modi a better “actor” than Akshay. He said, “Akshay Kumar ji is a great actor and we like him. He is a very successful actor. An unsuccessful politician who has decimated India’s economy, who has decimated India’s jobs, who has made life hell for India’s farmers and the poor, is now trying to become a better actor than Akshay Kumar ji.” The spokesperson also said that PM Modi makes fun of everything and joked about important issues. He further mentioned, “You looted the entire currency of this country and were clapping and laughing during demonetisation. Is the PM’s job to make fun of people, make fun of institutions, make fun of people whom the country feels proud of, or will he do some work also”.
It is sad to see that the Congress leader has a problem with the PM’s humour and politicizes every single remark made by Modi in the interview about his personal life. A completely non political interview which helped the audience know more about the person Modi is and understanding him beyond his political shell did not fall in good taste for the Congress.
Akshay Kumar is a known figure among all age groups and ANI, a trusted media platform. Both the factors played an important role in reaching out to the section of audience who is not interested in political news and interviews. The increase in the views of the interview is also due its candid nature. It was a master stroke to indulge audience, who is not interested to watch political interviews. The liberal media cannot surpass these two important aspects involved in the interview, on one hand ANI assured a larger coverage, while Akshay Kumar’s presence guaranteed a wider reach. This cannot be countered by the liberal brigade, who have mocked Modi and politicized the interview.
Liberal media journalists like Ravish Kumar, left no stone unturned in mocking the Prime Minister on his interview. Ravish Kumar deliberately picked out instances where Modi described his personal choices. He mocked the Prime Minister on his way and choice of eating Mangoes and his relationship with his mother. He sarcastically mentioned that it is not important to discuss national issues but rather have casual talks during elections. The journalist also compared Akshay Kumar and his questions with those of Prasoon Joshi’s when he interviewed Modi in London. Ravish Kumar mentioned that discussing high profile topics is no more a motive of the Prime Minister’s, and he would rather choose to discuss his crocodile adventures. Kumar’s hypocrisy is evident from the fact that he asked questions about Kanhaiya’s marriage in a political interview instead of questioning the CPI candidate’s poll agenda.
These liberal journalists are deeply hurt by the attention and appreciation the interview has received, Ravish Kumar even questioned the credibility of Election Commission. It portrays, that liberal media is indeed discontented about the fact that people loved how their leader expressed his personal life.
In the interview Modi mentioned about his love for mangoes, his struggles and journey to become the Prime Minister, his friends in the opposition who sends him kurtas and sweets, his adventures, and the fact that he is always perceived as a strict politician. It was probably the first time that the nation witnessed its beloved leader using so much humour and cracking jokes. All those who watched the interview appreciated the effort of the actor in bringing of the best out of Narendra Modi. The candid shots and expressions were priceless. In that moment the Prime Minister was just another person sharing things about his life, his interests and what led him to be the most dynamic leader the country had ever seen.