Karan Tacker: “It was a matter of prestige to host this show”

Earlier this week a historic moment took place when PM Narendra Modi visited Israel and met with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, something which has never been done before and Karan Tacker was lucky to also be a part of it.

In a recent interview with Bollywood Life, Tacker explains the excitement and honour he felt to host the function held during the visit. “It was a matter of prestige to host this show. In the last 25 years, no Indian PM has been to Israel and this was a tie of friendship. The three-hour show started with a cultural programme, but for me the coolest moment was when I called Modiji and Netanyahu on stage to give their speech.”

Asked how landed this once in a lifetime opportunity, Tacker said, “An Indian postal stamp was launched there and Modiji was speaking live with me and the Mayor of New York. The team of Indian foreign ministry later called me for this show.”

Tacker shares how he was rather nervous and didn’t sleep for two weeks. “I had to juggle some of my shoots and also do research. I googled as much as I could and wrote the script in the airport lounge as I had to leave at an odd hour,” explains Karan. “I was a little scared because I had to be sure to not only be ‘politically correct’, but also not fumble and say something wrong. There is so much security and pressure that it is nerve racking.”

For Tacker he was happy he managed to do job “perfectly” and share this moment with both Prime Ministers. “The Indian population is less in Israel, yet there is a lot of Indian influence. There was a lot of positivity towards our PM’s visit, which was visible on the streets. There is also a similarity in both the cultures, also in terms of religious practices.”

Whilst in Israel, Tacker took the opportunity to explore and soak in some culture, as well as enjoying the food, such as hummus and falafel, which he said was the best. “It’s the most holy place ever and experiencing it is surreal. You get a chance to walk down the street believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucification. It takes you back and gives you goose bumps. It also has the Islamic tomb which is the most sacred after Mecca and the Jewish ‘Wailing Wall’ is also touching that place. It is fascinating and spooky.”