Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 19-01-2018
Barely a month after welcoming an Israeli delegation into his home and being severely criticized for it, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has now posed for a selfie with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu was at Shalom Bollywood event in Mumbai, where top stars from the industry were present.
Among those in attendance at the event at a luxury hotel in India’s commercial capital were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, actor Amitabh Bachchan, and actress Aishwarya Rai.
Daily News and Analysis India reports that the Israeli Prime Minister wanted to recreate the viral ‘Oscar selfie’, which featured several Hollywood stars in one picture by posing with Bollywood superstars as a sign of the “great friendship” between India and Israel.
Posing for the selfie were Bachchan and his family, Karan Johar, Randhir Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi, Sara Ali Khan and filmmaker Imtiaz Ali among others.
While 75-year-old Bachchan was quoted as saying there is not caste creed, or colour or religion when watching a Bollywood film, many argue the he and other leading players are nonchalant and oblivious to Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestine, its years-long siege of Gaza and the atrocities being inflicted on Palestinians.
Ironically Bachchan speaks of the power of cinema uniting people, but fails to see the reality of the Palestinian struggle.
“In a world where we see humanity disintegrating in front of us, cinema is perhaps (among) the few yet prominent entities that bring people together.”
Netanyahu in his address quipped that Bachchan has “30 million more followers than me on Twitter” and stressed how if India and Israel come together, “magic will happen.”
Earlier BDS South Africa’s Muhammad Desai said they were disappointed to see someone of Bachchan’s stature entertain the Israeli’s considering the atrocities committed against the Palestinians by the Israeli’s.
According to Al Jazeera, Israel’s connection with Bollywood, if it takes root, could work as an effective global media tool for the right-wing Israeli government. “Shalom Bollywood” is part of an official push by the Jewish state to improve its image abroad, a sentiment echoed by Desai.
Modi’s Hindu nationalist government has rolled out the red carpet for Netanyahu during his first India trip that began on Sunday.
0 Comments