This is What Akshay Kumar Should Have Asked PM Modi in His ‘Chat’

These are the questions Akshay Kumar should have asked PM Narendra Modi, instead of the ones he did ask.

Akshay Kumar said he wanted the interview to be apolitical and find out, as a person, what’s our PM like. Here’s what he should have ACTUALLY asked the prime minister.

(Photo: The Quint)

So, Akshay Kumar interviewed Prime Minister Modi. No wait, let me rephrase that. So Akshay Kumar had an “informal chat” with Prime Minister Modi. An informal chat that lasted an hour and nine minutes, which was carried on nearly every news channel in the country.

An “apolitical” conversation that comes bang in the middle of elections.

But an informal chat, nonetheless.

In today’s Big Story, we’re delving deep into this “non-political interview” of Narendra Modi.

Akshay Kumar said he wanted the interview to be apolitical and find out, as a person, what's our PM like.

No, Akshay. That's probably not what the people want to know about, especially during elections. The PM's exercise, diet and sleep routines have been covered by EVERY so-called journalist who has interviewed him.

ABP news, Times Now, Republic TV, Zee News... the list is endless.

What people do want to know, is why there aren't any jobs, why the agrarian crisis is worsening, why hate crimes are at an all-time high, why over 160 mob attacks have taken place and at least 90 people have been lynched since 2015, with LITTLE consequence.

But no. What Akshay Kumar opened with, was, "Modiji aap aam khaate hai? Aur kaise khaate hai?”

So, after the hard-hitting mango question, Akshay followed up a question that could ALMOST have been a hard-hitting question, with this.

“I read somewhere that you wanted to be a sanyasi as well as a soldier.”

Akshay Kumar, Actor

While keeping the question apolitical, Akshay COULD have asked the PM what he saw and what he experienced while pursuing sanyas.

Moving on, Akshay asked Modiji how he manages his anger. Good question. Being the man who leads a nation of 1.3 billion+ people, it’s important to have a calm, even head, without anger. Here’s how Modiji replied.

“When someone comes to me with a problem I help through praise, not by demeaning or belittling them.”

PM Modi

Haan but Opposition ko attack karne ke time ye affection or pyar kahan jaata hai modiji?

A closer look at the political speeches the PM’s made in the past five years, especially targeted at the Opposition tell a very different story. From likening the Congress party to Pakistan, stating that the two wanted the same things for India, to making a joke about dyslexia, the, “I don’t belittle people” statement is, like Smriti Irani’s claims of a Harvard education.

I’m Good Friends With Opposition Leaders: PM Modi

Now on the question of the Opposition, Modiji said that despite all his differences with the Opposition, he’s still on good terms with them.

So what’s the PM’s favourite gift from Opposition leaders? Well he says that Mamata Banerjee still sends him kurtas and sweets every year.

But on a serious note though, the political attacks and mud-slinging have not only escalated but taken a turn that’s been questioned by many concerned citizens. In fact, as recently as last week, 66 former bureaucrats wrote to President Kovind with concerns about political discourse and speeches, which they said, had sunk to new lows.

So perhaps, the more important question would have been how the PM maintains such good relations with the Opposition leaders.

Also, what gift has Rahul Gandhi sent you so far?

How Much Money in Your Bank Account, PM Modi?

Next, Akshay asked the PM a pretty straightforward question. How much money did he have at present, in his bank account?

The PM’s answer to this was nearly four minutes long… and it involved stories about how he gave money to his former staff, and how he never kept a track of the money or the bank account he had and how he’d forgotten that he even had an account….but he finally answered the important question….right?

Uhhh, no.

So perhaps Akshay should have followed up with…sir aapne promise kiya tha paanch saal pehle to deposit 15 lakh rupees in every Indian’s account….did you forget those accounts also like you forgot this account?

PM Modi on Sleep & Fashion Statements

Next, Akshay asked Modiji about how much he slept, you know, the REAL questions that we want answered.

Modiji’s answer, that he only slept for 3-4 hours a night, was something, he said, that his good friend Barack Obama also used to ask him about. But what would have been interesting is if Akshay followed up by asking, Modiji, do you sleep so little because you work so hard for the country, or is it that you can’t sleep because of the nightmarish human rights violations in India that minorities have to face? Because according to the NCRB, as well as media reports, over 165 mob attacks and 90 mob lynchings have taken place in India since just 2015.

But why talk about such uncomfortable things, when we can talk about Modiji’s FASHION sense.

Akshay’s next question was about Modiji’s fashion statement. But perhaps the next question could have been about why Modiji still hasn’t made a statement about unemployment, which is at an all-time high, or about reports that the government was trying to suppress about rising unemployment statistics?

Other Questions Akshay Could Have Asked PM Modi

Perhaps, Bollywood’s khiladi could have asked PM Modi about why he follows Twitter handles that are known for spewing hate and anti-minority sentiment, including one handle that called journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder a “well-deserved dog’s death”, in rough terms.

And then Akshay showed Modiji some memes. Which all more or less glorified Modiji and looked like they were taken from a pro-BJP fan page.

But Akshay missed an armful of memes, like the 2002 riots memes, the demonetisation memes, the GST memes, and of course the Modi biopic memes.

On a sidenote though: Akshay really needs to up his meme game.

Before we wrap up, we crowd-sourced a bunch of questions that Akshay COULD have asked PM Modi instead of the ones he did ask. Here are a few:

• Now that Jawed Habib has joined the BJP, will you hire his expert services for a makeover?
• Modi ji, aap aapke mata jee se milne cameraperson leke kyun jaate ho?
• Modiji, will you play Vivek Oberoi in his biopic?
• Modiji, who will sit on the iron throne???!!!
• Modiji...if you were a superhero who would you be?
• Modiji - Thepla or Dhokla?

Of course, we could go on and on about what Akshay Kumar’s interview…ahem… “informal chat” could have been like, but that could go on for another five years.