Introduction

The soft power of India, and especially Bollywood, is powerfully illustrated in an encounter experienced by journalist Bobby Ghosh, former Baghdad bureau chief of

Time

magazine. After the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Ghosh was reporting from a village west of Baghdad, a stronghold of Saddam loyalists. A “Colonel,” on finding out his occupation, picked up his AK-47 and pointed it to his forehead:

“You American?” he shouted.

“I’m from India,” I said.

“No, you’re American,” he said again. “You will die.”

My translator interjected, pleading with the Colonel not to shoot. I was indeed an Indian, he said. But the Colonel was having none of it. “He is American, and he must die,” he said.

More out of panic than forethought, I blurted out, “I’m Indian … like Shammi Kaboor.”

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“Shammi Kaboor?”

“You know Shammi Kaboor?” the Colonel asked. He still had the gun to my forehead.

“Of course I know Shammi Kaboor,” I said. “All Indians know him. He’s a big star.”

The Colonel lowered his AK-47. He stepped back. “You really know Shammi Kaboor?”

“Yes,” I said.

“I like Shammi Kaboor,” he said, with a small smile. “I saw all his movies when I was young.”

“Me too,” I lied.

“What was it he used to shout?” he asked. “Yahoo,” I said. The danger had passed. “You are lucky you’re Indian,” he said as I got into the car. “Otherwise you would be dead by now. You should thank God.” In my mind, there was no doubt about who I needed to thank.” (Ghosh, 2011)