Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia this week also became a talking point for its Bollywood connection, after he referenced the popular song ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ from the 1998 film of the same name, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji.
Addressing members of the Indian diaspora in Jakarta, Modi said he had noticed that the song remains extremely popular in Indonesia. He told the gathering that he had informed Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto that when India and Indonesia move forward together, it goes beyond just “kuch kuch” and becomes “bahut kuch hota hai,” using the title of the film to describe the growing partnership between the two countries. The remark drew applause from the audience.
President Prabowo, who spoke before Modi at the event, said he was a great admirer of the prime minister and had studied several of his policies. He also shared that a genome sequencing test taken ahead of his state visit to India had revealed that he has Indian DNA. He said that discovery explained why he finds himself moving to music, especially Indian music, whenever he hears it.
Prabowo also spoke about Indonesia’s deep cultural ties with India, noting that around half of the Indonesian language draws from Sanskrit and that many Indonesian names have Sanskrit origins. He said Indonesia’s civilisation and culture have been strongly influenced by Indian civilisation.
Filmmaker Karan Johar, who directed ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, later thanked Modi for the mention, saying it had helped keep the song alive.
Modi’s Indonesia trip formed the first leg of a three nation tour that also includes Australia and New Zealand. During the visit, he held bilateral talks with President Prabowo, addressed the Indonesian Parliament and was conferred Indonesia’s highest civilian honour.
