Dev Anand's foresight

The Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party (OFBJP), the party outfit that takes care of its outreach to non-resident Indians, is busy organising promotional events in North America to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US at the end of September. Late last week, the outfit held an event in Los Angeles to which it invited the late Hindi film actor Dev Anand's son Suneil Anand. Suneil, according to an OFBJP press statement, told the audience how his late father had screened his film Mr Prime Minister for Modi when the latter was chief minister of Gujarat. Anand had written, directed and produced that film and also played the protagonist. Suneil claimed that his father told Modi at the screening: "I am showing this film to you with the hope that you will soon become Mr Prime Minister of India". Suneil, the press release informs us, told the audience in a "choked voice" how "the dream of millions of Indians has come true and we righteous people all over the world should support PM Modiji." Mr Prime Minister was released at the end of 2005.