Actor Deepika Padukone was clearly the cynosure of all eyes when she created a splash, dressed in a trendy saree designed by Manish Malhotra, at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and his wife Miyuki last week.
Both Yukio Hatoyama and his wife are big Bollywood fans and were more than just delighted to meet the lissome actress, whose debut film “Om Shanti Om” two years ago was a big hit in Japan.
They chatted animatedly over dinner, also attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and 20 cabinet ministers. Insiders in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that conversation also veered to south Indian superstar Rajnikant, who still rules millions of hearts in Japan with his machismo and flamboyance.
Popularly known as “Odori Maharaja” (the dancing king), the icon is hugely popular, particularly among young Japanese.
“The issue of civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries could not be settled but we swayed them with our soft power,” quipped a PMO official.
rounak