MUMBAI: Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu wished “Shalom” to the Hindi film fraternity at an event on Thursday where he received a warm welcome from Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
“The world loves Bollywood, Israel loves Bollywood, I love Bollywood”, said Netanyahu.
He further added, “I found that Amitabh Bachchan has 30 million more Twitter followers than I do. I looked at other stars as well and I realised that you guys are a big thing. And the reason for that is that the world loves Bollywood, Israel loves Bollywood and I love Bollywood. We are putting our money where our mouth is,”
Netanyahu’s six day visit to India ended with the glittering gala dinner event which was attended by prominent names like Karan Johar, Abhishek Bachchan & Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan, Imtiaz Ali, Vivek Oberoi, Prasoon Joshi, Randhir Kapoor, Ronnie Screwvala, Madhur Bhandarkar, and Sara Ali Khan from the film fraternity.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present as he welcomed Netanyahu to India’s “entertainment capital”.
During the event, the PM showcased Israel’s natural beauty as a potential shooting hotspot for Bollywood, which has successfully helped boost tourism for several exotic foreign locales over the years. He added, “You have seen what you find in Israel. In an hour’s drive, you have snow, the beaches, the desert, you have the salty sea, a sweet lake, great Indian food. I love Indian food, but it’s not only this. It is not only great locations.”
The picture was snapped by Amitabh Bachchan who stepped up with a selfie stick to capture the crowded moment with the visiting PM who was present with his wife, Sara.
Later, Netanyahu tweeted the photograph, and wrote: “Will my Bollywood selfie beat Hollywood selfie at the Oscars?”
