Bollywood can play important role in making India developed nation by 2047: Kailash Kher

Washington: Bollywood can play an important and constructive role in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Amrit Kaal" call to bring India into the category of developed nations by 2047, popular music composer and singer Kailash Kher has said.

Energised and motivated Indians have put the country on an accelerated path of development and India would become a developed nation much before 2047, a timeline set by the prime minister, Kailash said.

India today is "taking a lead" in making the world a "livable" place, the 50-year-old singer told PTI here in an interview as he referred to the phenomenal success of the recently concluded G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Bollywood can play an important role in Prime Minister Modi's "Amrit Kaal" call to bring India into the category of developed nations by 2047, he said.

In its discourse, the Bharatiya Janata Party describes the period between the country’s 75th Independence year to the 100th as “Amrit Kaal”.

The film industry needs to be constructive and work with positive energy, observing that art and culture can play a significant role in the country's development, Kailash, a recipient of the Padma Shri award in 2017, said.

According to him, the people of India are so aware and energised that he believes the prime minister's goal of making India a developed nation by 2047 will be achieved in the next eight to 10 years.

He noted that the people of India now want to work for everyone, contribute to the nation's development and not for themselves alone. He said this is in addition to the tremendous work being done by the current government.

Having travelled across the world, Kailash asserted under Modi's leadership, India's image has gained more prominence in the world, and he considers this as a "yagna" and "anusthan".

Kailash said that it was the same country, same people and officials, but the prime minister's leadership style and work ethic have made all the difference.

The singer said that the world leaders who came to attend the recently concluded G20 Summit were impressed by Modi's leadership and India's development, adding that this makes every Indian proud.

He noted that making the African Union a part of the G20 was a unique and inclusive move and added that India's humanity, work and spiritualism are now becoming global.

In addition to Kailash's devotion to singing, which often makes him travel to different parts of the world, the singer is also involved in various non-profit activities through his Kailash Kher Foundation and initiatives like Nayii Udaan, which provides young talents with a platform and the Mehar Rangat, to save the old dying art of folk and Indian music.

"It's my own humble contribution to the society," said the singer, who also has the Kailash Kher Academy for Learning Art.

Kailash was raised in an Ashram and is known for bringing spiritualism and devotional music into Bollywood.

"Today my songs are sung by sadhus and even clubs," he said, adding that his music is now being sung and performed by international stars, including British singer Zayn Malik and Grammy-winning musician Richard Bona, who is based out of New York.

Responding to a question about India's influence overseas, Kailash said it is far beyond Bollywood. Not just Bharat's culture, music, and art, but also its "way of life," "lifestyle", yoga, ayurveda, its humanity and sensibility has "hypnotised" and mesmerised the entire world," he said.

Asserting that Bharat's "sanatan" culture is nature-friendly and unique, Kailash said as the world realises this uniqueness, they are getting attracted towards it like never before.