Many celebrities shared their personal wishes of meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as tributes poured in on his 75th birthday.
Actor-director R. Madhavan was one of them, contributing a moving story as part of the popular #MyModiStory series. Meeting India's leader was only one aspect of his memory; another was being reminded of the importance of human connection and attentiveness.
Madhavan, who made his directorial debut with Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, revealed that one of his most cherished encounters with PM Modi came during the film’s preparation stage.
At the time, he was transformed into the look of scientist Nambi Narayanan, complete with heavy make-up and a full beard. He admitted he wasn’t eager to jostle for photographs like others at the event in Mumbai, as he doubted the Prime Minister would even recognise him.
“When I was preparing for my movie Rocketry, I got a personal experience of Modi ji’s extraordinary attentiveness. This was right after Uri had released and become a huge success. Modi ji was visiting Mumbai for an event, where a lot of people from the film fraternity had gathered,” he wrote on X.
He went on: “Everyone was eager to meet him and click pictures. I was there too - but not as myself. I was in full look of the great scientist Nambi Narayan ji, whom I was portraying as the lead role. With a big beard and full makeup, I genuinely doubted whether Modi ji would even recognise me.”
But what followed left the actor stunned. “To my absolute surprise, the moment he saw me, he said, ‘Madhavan ji, you look like Nambi Narayan. Has the shooting of the film started?’ I was stunned. Here was the Prime Minister of India, burdened with the responsibilities of the nation and the world, yet he not only recognised me instantly but also remembered exactly what I was working on, despite my drastically different appearance.”
That moment, Madhavan said, prompted him to take a selfie with the Prime Minister — both sporting similar beards at the time. “It remains one of my most cherished memories - because it showed me that @NarendraModi ji is not just a leader of vision, but a human being who notices, remembers, and values people in the most personal way.”
He ended his post with a warm wish: “On your 75th birthday, wishing you the happiest birthday yet and praying for a Wonderful Happy and a Healthy year ahead for you.”
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