Netanyahu meets Bollywood stars, ends event with Oscars-style selfie

Prime Minister ends speech by inviting Bollywood stars for an on-stage selfie so that 'millions of people can see the amazing friendship between both our countries.'

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Updated: JANUARY 19, 2018 21:15
Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara taking a selfie with noted Indian actors during a state visit in India (photo credit: AVI OHAYON - GPO)
Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara taking a selfie with noted Indian actors during a state visit in India
(photo credit: AVI OHAYON - GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara Netanyahu attended a special gala event with various noted stars in the Indian film industry such as actress Sara Ali Khan, actor and producer Amitabh Bachchan and former Miss World contestant and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Netanyahu said that the rise of Bollywood is ''a part of India rising as a world power, which goes hand-in-hand with the ascent of Israel as a world leader in technology."
Netanyahu said that innovation is not limited to medicine or space but is also present in the arts. "I think that if we join our forces," he said, "magic will happen."
"We believe in Bollywood, we believe in India, we believe in the relations between India and Israel," he stated. Inspired by the Hollywood celebrities who took a selfie at the Academy Awards, the prime minister invited the Indian celebrities to take a shared picture with him on stage.
Netanyahu is wrapping up a five-day visit to India, during which he criss-crossed the country attending various events related to diplomacy, trade, technology, education and aid. 
For large parts of the visit, he and his wife Sara were accompanied by Indian Prime Minister Nerendra Modi, who received similar close attention on his visit to Israel last year.