LS polls: Bollywood plays lead role in Modi's campaign for a second term

Bollywood is endorsing him on-screen and off, in both subtle and obvious ways

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during 'Vijay Sankalp Samavesh' public meeting ahead of Lok Sabha elections, at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi, Tuesday, April 02, 2019

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As people younger than 35 form nearly two-thirds of India’s population of about 1.3 billion, with more than 15 million voting for the first time in general elections that begin on Thursday, approval from the leading stars could be key

Reuters

5 min read Last Updated : Apr 10 2019 | 12:02 PM IST

Early this year, a dozen of Bollywood’s biggest names took a private jet from India’s film capital of Mumbai to New Delhi for a private audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Subsequently, actor Ranveer Singh, who has nearly 22 million followers on Instagram, posted a smiling picture of himself hugging Modi, with a caption expressing his “joy” at the encounter, drawing more than 3 million likes.

Bollywood is playing a lead role in Modi’s campaign for a second term, endorsing him on-screen and off, in both subtle and obvious ways, in a marked shift from the more transactional relationship Indian film stars