New Delhi, January 30 – While Prime Minister Narendra Modi was busy hosting his new friend US President Barack Obama in New Delhi, his old friend Salman Khan, was quietly carrying forward his Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan on Facebook (he started a new mission of nominating his followers for the Clean India Drive).
After the razzmatazz ended in the Capital, our PM took to his favourite mouthpiece, Twitter to thank his friend from Mumbai. Reading about the two got me thinking, how they often draw massive attention whenever together.
Is it the love-hate relationship that they have with the media? Or is it because they enjoy colossal fan following? And can their similarities bind them in the ‘best friends forever’ bond?
Let’s try to figure it out:
1.Love-hate relationship with the media:
Before getting to mainstream media’s sentiments for Salman Khan and PM Modi, lets talk about social media – our new-age weapon for exercising our right to express.
PM Modi is the third most followed world leader across the globe on Twitter next only to US President Barack Obama and the Pope. (9.76 million). His Facebook is far ahead with 27,347,475 followers. But are they all Modi-lovers? No, a pretty some are Modi-baiters/bashers/haters/libtards and so on.
Friend Salman Khan (believe it or not) is more popular than Modi on Twitter. Yes, he has 10.3 million followers on the micro-blogging site. I you are wondering how can the educated/classy lot of Twitter like Salman,
The single screen lord, then let me tell you, the 10 million plus following is courtesy the bored and uninterested executives, and stand up comics who find their inspiration in Salman’s lazy, pointless, monosyllabic updates. And then there is a sea of SRK lovers who contribute majorly to Salman’s enormous popularity on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the mainstream media loves to laud and bash the two with equal zeal. Watch TV channels reporting on PM Modi before May 2014 and after. You will understand what I mean. Salman’s relationship with the mainstream media too has been a roller-coaster ride. His media trails over court cases and not to forget, ‘endorsing Modi for PM post’ row.
2.Style bhais
Salman Bhai and Narendra bhai Modi are heroes of the masses. Be it Salman’s personal style or ‘divorced-from-logic’ blockbusters, everything Salman does sets off a mass frenzy.
The obnoxious ‘Radhey’ hairstyle that went viral amongst boys after Tere Naam, still terrifies me. Now we have the turquoise bracelet and Being Human merchandise.
PM Modi is a style icon no less. Whether it is the formal bandhgala or his signature short sleeved kurta. The political heavyweight is quite stylish. C’mon, lets give it to him. Even Barack Obama wanted to wear the famous Modi kurta during his India trip.
3.Controversy is their middle name:
The lives PM Modi and Salman Khan can’t be more similar for number of controversies that stalk them. From courting charges of the most serious kinds (Gujarat riots, anti-minority, alleged fake-encounters snooping row) to trivial ones( Selfie with Party symbol or wearing Modi printed suit for R-Day parade), PM Modi has had it all.
Not very far behind, Salman Khan’s most visited place is the courtroom (I guess Sanjay Dutt is way ahead of Salman in this). When not in the court Salman is often found on gossip magazines, entertainment show, stand-up acts and everywhere else. Thanks to his ex girl-friends and blow-hot-blow-cold dosti with Shah Rukh Khan.
4.Swacch Bharat inspired from Jai Ho:
Trust me. The idea of creating a chain of good deeds came much before PM Modi’s Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan. Yes, Jai Ho was released five months before Modi came to power. I suspect when Salman went to promote Jai Ho in Gujarat, PM Modi got the whiff of it. PM Modi praises Salman Khan for his Swacch Bharat efforts
5.Both are single:
Who can understand the pain (and the joys) of being foot-loose and fancy free. Only another one, sailing in the same boat.
-INDIA TODAY
