'Amitabh Bachchan is too tall to play Mr Modi.'
Although the irrepressible Shatrughan Sinha and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ceased to be political allies many years ago, the actor-MP expresses his highest regards for the PM on his 75th birthday on September 17.
"Is he really 75? He doesn't look a day older than 50," Sinhatells Subhash K Jha.
"His dynamism and visionary personality are remarkable. So what if we are no longer political allies? We are bonded by our mutual reverence for our mentors Shri L K Advani and Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. I may not be on the same ideological platform as PM Modi, but to me, he will always be the real action hero of our country."
Shatrughan respects Modi's reformative zeal.
"He is a tried-and-tested leader," he says.
"He has done the country proud during his tenure as prime minister. We share a great professional rapport though we may not be that close on a personal level. It's become fashionable to declare oneself a close friend of Narendra Modiji. I don't think he has any close friends, not even the incomparable Mr Trump."
Shatrughan is all for a worthy bio-pic on Modi, but conditions apply.
"PM Modi has a certain national and international stature and only an actor of stature should play him. Naseeruddin Shah or I would be ideal. Mr Amitabh Bachchan too. But he's too tall to play Mr Modi."
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
© 2025