Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Israel took a lighter turn when he met the cast of popular Israeli series Fauda, shared a selfie with them and posted a witty line online. The meeting, which came amid high-level talks on defence, trade and innovation, also drew attention after actor Lior Raz spoke about the honour of meeting the Indian leader and the show’s growing popularity in India.
A selfie that got everyone talking
On Thursday evening, PM Modi posted a smiling selfie with the Fauda team and added a playful caption that quickly caught attention online.
“Thankfully, this interaction required only a selfie, no undercover work! #Fauda,” PM Modi wrote.
In the picture, he was seen with Avi Issacharoff, Lior Raz and Tsahi Halevi, turning a diplomatic visit into a viral pop-culture moment.
‘It was amazing’: Lior Raz on meeting Modi
After the meeting, Lior Raz shared his reaction and praised the way India supports arts and entertainment.
“It was amazing and it was a huge honour to meet the Prime Minister of India. Such a huge country and we know that we have a lot of audience in India for our shows. To get this honour from your Prime Minister, for us, it is great to see how he supports acting, producing and art in your country. I think this is something that we should learn how to do in our country as well. We would love to collaborate again. My show Fauda's Netflix premiere was in Goa Film Festival, we would love to come back and do it again.”
A busy visit, with a cultural break
Modi’s two-day official visit to Israel included meetings with several delegates and discussions on strengthening ties in science, technology, cybersecurity, agriculture, water, defence and trade.
The interaction with the Fauda team stood out as a cultural break in the packed schedule, highlighting how entertainment is also part of India’s global engagement.
Why ‘Fauda’ connects with India
The Israeli series has built a strong fan following in India over the past few years, with several actors visiting the country and working with Indian filmmakers.
Actor Tsahi Halevi visited India in 2022 and met personalities like Anupam Kher, Imtiaz Ali and Vivek Agnihotri. He also acted in the Bollywood film Akeli alongside Nushrratt Bharuccha.
Speaking about that experience earlier, Halevi said, “It is a great opportunity to be a part of such a colourful world of Indian cinema! I'm super excited and was amazed with the script when I first heard it! It was truly nice working with the entire cast and crew in Akelli and I'm sure it is going to be an impactful and unforgettable movie. ”
In 2022, Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff also attended the Asia premiere of season four of their show at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
The meeting, selfie and Raz’s reaction added a human, offbeat touch to a serious diplomatic trip, showing how cinema and streaming shows are helping build cultural bridges between India and Israel.
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