Sidharth Malhotra's rendezvous with John Key
Prime Minister John Key on Monday appointed Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra as the country's tourism ambassador in India.
They met at the Prime Minister's Office in the Beehive in Wellington.
Sidharth, who has cemented his space in Bollywood with films like Student Of The Year, Ek Villain and Brothers, also received a rugby jersey of the country's All Blacks national team, from the prime minister.
It was a fulfilling hour-long interesting conversation around Bollywood, education, sports and food for the actor, who looked dashing in a black bandhgala designed by Raghavendra Rathore.
"We spoke about All Blacks, Bollywood films, he has met Mr. Shah Rukh Khan and spoke to me about his interactions with him," Sidharth said post the meeting.
"I think he is very down to earth, and he said that he has joined politics only 15 years ago, which shows that he has led a life apart from politics," he added.
For Sidharth, it was "refreshing" to meet such a welcoming political leader.
"He has a very common man's sensibility, and he is very hands on about the numbers and facilities New Zealand is providing," Sidharth said and added that Key was "extremely cool and relaxed".
They even deliberated over getting more Bollywood films to shoot in the picturesque landscapes that The Pacific nation offers.
"They (New Zealand) shoot way bigger and larger films, but they are quite open to getting Bollywood here.
"We spoke about getting more tourists here, more students for education, and more youths for adventure sports.
"He said that India is a big market for adventure sports that New Zealand offers, because of the young population.
"Hopefully, my association should get them a lot of tourism and business," added the actor.
Earlier in the day, Sidharth had met Oscar-winning legend Richard Taylor, New Zealand's creative genius and five-time Oscar winning talent in the country's film capital. He says exploring the filmmaking hub of this Pacific nation was a revelation.
Sidharth also sampled what went behind the scenes of Hollywood trilogies like "The Lord Of The Rings" and "The Hobbit", apart from having a chat with Taylor, who has won five Oscars and multiple BAFTA trophies for his work in visual effects, costume and make-up.
The actor entered the world-famous Weta Workshop with a childlike enthusiasm, and kept getting mesmerised at every stage of his tour. The armour, weapons, creatures, prosthetics, props and costumes from several films that the company has worked on, are part of the eclectic display.
"It is amazingly planned and very work-friendly. It was great to see what goes behind the scene and what goes into making a particular film. Also, it was wonderful to see how Sir Richard Taylor is about his work and how connected and involved he is with his crew,” he said.
Sidharth is in New Zealand on an eight-day trip to sample the country's culture, beauty and hospitality.
Prime Minister John Key on Monday appointed Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra as the country's tourism ambassador in India.
They met at the Prime Minister's Office in the Beehive in Wellington.
Sidharth, who has cemented his space in Bollywood with films like Student Of The Year, Ek Villain and ...
Prime Minister John Key on Monday appointed Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra as the country's tourism ambassador in India.
They met at the Prime Minister's Office in the Beehive in Wellington.
Sidharth, who has cemented his space in Bollywood with films like Student Of The Year, Ek Villain and Brothers, also received a rugby jersey of the country's All Blacks national team, from the prime minister.
It was a fulfilling hour-long interesting conversation around Bollywood, education, sports and food for the actor, who looked dashing in a black bandhgala designed by Raghavendra Rathore.
"We spoke about All Blacks, Bollywood films, he has met Mr. Shah Rukh Khan and spoke to me about his interactions with him," Sidharth said post the meeting.
"I think he is very down to earth, and he said that he has joined politics only 15 years ago, which shows that he has led a life apart from politics," he added.
For Sidharth, it was "refreshing" to meet such a welcoming political leader.
"He has a very common man's sensibility, and he is very hands on about the numbers and facilities New Zealand is providing," Sidharth said and added that Key was "extremely cool and relaxed".
They even deliberated over getting more Bollywood films to shoot in the picturesque landscapes that The Pacific nation offers.
"They (New Zealand) shoot way bigger and larger films, but they are quite open to getting Bollywood here.
"We spoke about getting more tourists here, more students for education, and more youths for adventure sports.
"He said that India is a big market for adventure sports that New Zealand offers, because of the young population.
"Hopefully, my association should get them a lot of tourism and business," added the actor.
Earlier in the day, Sidharth had met Oscar-winning legend Richard Taylor, New Zealand's creative genius and five-time Oscar winning talent in the country's film capital. He says exploring the filmmaking hub of this Pacific nation was a revelation.
Sidharth also sampled what went behind the scenes of Hollywood trilogies like "The Lord Of The Rings" and "The Hobbit", apart from having a chat with Taylor, who has won five Oscars and multiple BAFTA trophies for his work in visual effects, costume and make-up.
The actor entered the world-famous Weta Workshop with a childlike enthusiasm, and kept getting mesmerised at every stage of his tour. The armour, weapons, creatures, prosthetics, props and costumes from several films that the company has worked on, are part of the eclectic display.
"It is amazingly planned and very work-friendly. It was great to see what goes behind the scene and what goes into making a particular film. Also, it was wonderful to see how Sir Richard Taylor is about his work and how connected and involved he is with his crew,” he said.
Sidharth is in New Zealand on an eight-day trip to sample the country's culture, beauty and hospitality.
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