'No undercover work!' PM Modi meets Fauda star cast on Israel visit, posts selfie

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a lighthearted selfie of him meeting the star cast of the Jewish spy thriller series Fauda on Thursday.Posting the photo on X, PM Modi wrote: "Thankfully, this interaction required only a selfie, no undercover work!"Fauda (Arabic for “chaos”) is a critically acclaimed Israeli political thriller that gained global popularity. The show explores the high-stakes, morally complex world surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, portraying undercover operations, counterterror missions and the human cost of prolonged violence on both sides. PM Modi's meeting with the star cast comes as various stakeholders in the Indian and Israeli entertainment industries have been seeking collaborative projects and possibilities of utilising each other's strengths in various aspects of the creative space. Last year, amid government efforts to make India a global film production hub, an Indian film festival kicked off in Israel with the screening of filmmaker Kiran Rao's acclaimed feature "Laapataa Ladies". "Dangal", "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", "Mimi", "English Vinglish" and "777 Charlie" were the other five movies to be screened in the film festival, which ran till March 8.The lineup showcased India's diversity, rich traditional heritage, contemporary challenges and its creative genius.During his 2018 visit to India, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after making a fervent appeal to the Hindi film industry to shoot in his country, captured some of Bollywood’s biggest faces into a selfie with Amitabh Bachchan helming the epic shot.“We believe in India-Israel relationship. One of the most viral pictures occurred at the Oscars a few years ago. I’d like the Bollywood stars to join me for a selfie so a few hundred million Indians and Israelis can see this phenomenal friendship. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra, Jai Israel!” he said as he beckoned the actors and filmmakers at the gathering titled Shalom Bollywood.India’s entertainment industry is valued at roughly $29–30 billion (2024), driven by films, television, OTT platforms, music, gaming and advertising. It produces the highest number of films globally and has strong cultural influence across Asia, the Middle East and the diaspora.Israel’s industry is much smaller in revenue but influential in global TV formats, high-quality dramas and creative exports.