In a classic case of better late than never, Israeli Actor Tsahi Halevi’s India visit was a revelation for him in many ways. If only he traveled to India after his mandatory IDF military training this would have been avoided; alas, his then girlfriend convinced him to pack his bags for Argentina instead. “So many astonishing similarities,” Halevi says gleefully, “I will surely be here again. There is so much to see here. The diversity of India has always been talked about”. The actor who was in India for a week says his social media accounts have been buzzing with Indian fans wishing him well. And why not, his show Fauda enjoys a massive fan following in India. In an interview with News18, he tells us about his experience. Excerpts:
These six days must have been hectic for you. How has the experience been?
It has been very short. I spent three days in Delhi and three days in Mumbai. I have just got a glimpse of your country. I had the great privilege of meeting many people. I got see a couple of places in both these cities. I saw the Gateway, the Leopold hotel and the Chabad House. I knew about the horrible attack in 2008. It was truly a touching experience listening to the courage people showed in 2008.
What do Israelis make of India? The connect on the internet certainly seems to reflect a growing understanding between the two nations.
There is a large Indian population in Israel which is respected immensely. The Jewish community from India has thrived. It has been a dream come true for me to come here and understand a bit of that history. We know it is such a diverse country and it is impossible for me to see all of it. I always had a lot of positive thoughts about the country and I was always attracted to the country. Of course, there is the cultural pull of India as well that comes from something like Yoga, which I do practice. Moreover, I have read so much about Gandhi.
This is your first trip to the country…
Yes, many young Israelis do travel to India. One of the major prerequisites of the military service is to travel. Some go to the Far East like to India and some leave for South America. During my military service I was dating a girl who wanted to go to Argentina, so I went there with her. But we come to know a lot about India from our friends. I have always believed that you need to see the places in order for us to understand it. Of course, everyone has a certain image of India- the nature, the culture, the food, the cinema- but there is so much more and you need to see it. It does really have a homely feel to it.
You met a many personalities from the film industry too.
Yes! In fact, I was surprised to discover that one of the first Bollywood celebrities was Jewish, Sulochana (Ruby Myers). These things were fascinating to know. Through that I learned a lot about the history of Indian cinema.
Were you surprised by your popularity in India? You sang an old Hindi song too at an event in Delhi.
You know, I was on Facebook and a lot of the Cochin Jewish community from Israel messaged me saying how they love the song. India is quite present in Israel be it the people or the food or the music. But it is not only these typical things that we talk about. Even the history, we got independence around the same time. We are like two sisters. Israel is a big fusion like India. Israel is a microcosm of India.
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