Mumbai, Dec 11 (IANS): The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who recently met with the Kapoor family ahead of the centenary of the late filmmaker-actor Raj Kapoor, lauded the Raj Kapoor as a visionary artiste.

In an exclusive footage of IANS, PM Modi can be seen talking to the Kapoor family about Raj Kapoor. He shared how Raj Kapoor was so ahead of his time as he established India as a ‘soft power’, when the word wasn’t even coined, among the people across the globe with his stories.

He said, “In 1947, we had ‘Neel Kamal’, and now in 2047, as we approach a 100-year journey, it symbolises the immense contribution of such a vast nation. Today, in the diplomatic world, there’s much talk about soft power.

Back then, the term ‘soft power’ didn’t even exist, but Raj Kapoor had already established India’s strength in this domain globally”. December 14, 2024 marks the centenary of Raj Kapoor, who is widely regarded as one of the biggest cinematic forces of India. He was born in Peshawar (present day Pakistan), and was the eldest son of actor Prithviraj Kapoor.

Raj Kapoor starred in and produced many films for which he received multiple accolades, including three National Film Awards. His films ‘Awaara’ and ‘Boot Polish’ competed for the Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1951 and 1955's editions respectively.

The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1971 for his contributions to the arts. India's highest award in cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, was bestowed to him in 1988 by the Government of India.

Earlier, the International Film Festival of India, organised jointly by the National Film Development Corporation of India (under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and the state Government of Goa, in Goa, honoured Raj Kapoor on his centenary, and invited Ranbir as the speaker to share anecdotes about his grandfather.