Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher expressed his delight after meeting United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the latter’s visit to Mumbai on Thursday.
Taking to Instagram, Kher shared a photo and video from his interaction with the British PM, who praised the actor’s performance in his debut Hollywood film Bend It Like Beckham.
“It was a pleasure meeting the British Prime Minister, Mr. Keir Starmer, last night at the reception celebrating the UK-India partnership. His speech was warm and full of positive possibilities between the two countries. He also turned out to be a great admirer of my first English language film Bend It Like Beckham. Thanks to the British High Commissioner Mr. Harjinder Kang for the invite!” Kher wrote in his post.
Bend It Like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha and released in 2002, is a sports comedy-drama in which Kher portrayed the character of Mr. Bhamra.
Prime Minister Starmer’s India visit from October 8–9 concluded with the announcement of 12 key outcomes, marking a major milestone in bilateral cooperation in areas including technology, education, trade, climate, health, and research, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Among the highlights was the establishment of the India-UK Connectivity and Innovation Centre to promote collaboration in advanced technologies. The India-UK Joint Centre for Artificial Intelligence (AI) was also inaugurated, along with Phase II of the UK-India Critical Minerals Supply Chain Observatory and a new satellite campus at IIT-ISM Dhanbad.
Additionally, the formation of the Critical Minerals Industry Guild aims to bolster supply chain security and advance sustainable green technologies. The visit also saw the launch of Phase III of the Bio-Medical Research Career Program and the creation of an Offshore Wind Taskforce. A Letter of Intent was also signed between India’s ICMR and the UK’s NIHR to strengthen health research collaboration.
