Former Indian cricket captain and currently a member of the Rajya Sabha, Sachin Tendulkar, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Friday, May 19, ahead of the release of his much talked-about biopic – Sachin: A Billion Dreams.
The Twitterati had a fun time putting speculative words in the duo's mouths in a photo [see the tweet below] which showed the prime minister shaking hands with a jovial Tendulkar but not with an exactly reciprocating countenance.
Sharing the laurels on May 26: PM may not like it
If one seriously goes by expression of the PM in that picture, it would not be difficult what he was feeling at the moment. The biopic of India's one of the biggest heart-throb is set to hit the silver screens on May 26 and it also happens to be the same day when the regime of Modi, the coming to power of which was quite a sensation in the annals of India's political history, completes three years.
Briefed our Hon'ble PM @narendramodi about the film #SachinABillionDreams & received his blessings. pic.twitter.com/XEwcBpKELA
— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 19, 2017
Despite blessing the former cricketer, is the thinking leader in Modi worried that his show on the day could get stolen by that of Tendulkar? In an age of hysteria called propaganda, it is not uncommon to think on those lines.
BJP has banked on propaganda to keep up its momentum; May 26 is a big date for it
The Modi camp has relied on campaigning and propaganda consistently to showcase itself, before as well as after storming New Delhi in May 2014, as it has been an effective tool to keep its momentum going. PM Modi's tech-savvy politics has always maintained a publicity lead over his traditional rivals and May 26 is a very important date for the man's government to drum about its achievements.
Even the build-up to the occasion is a key thing for the Modi regime and especially after the success of demonetisation, taking daring steps like surgical strikes and bagging a historic win in Uttar Pradesh, the Modi government would have liked to make its third anniversary special to kill the anti-incumbency mood, if at all.
But Tendulkar's film has the potential to overshadow the NDA's mega plan. The very fact that it is a biopic on contemporary India's biggest sporting superstar and he himself features in that can make the 'political' look second best.
The BJP could also feel the pinch since Tendulkar was nominated as the Rajya Sabha MP, along with actress Rekha, during the rule of the Congress-led UPA. A film's release and an anniversary are light occasions for sure but in times when politics has become a ruthless profession where even a second of publicity can change people's minds, the 'soft' can turn into a 'hard' in moments.
May 26 is a very significant date for Modi's BJP as well as India. With Tendulkar laying claims on the day in 2017, will the saffron camp happily agree to share the laurels?
