Modi's JFK moment: Mallika does a Marilyn, sings breathy happy birthday

For a political leader, having a fan is a great thing. But when you’re a Hindu nationalist leader with Prime Ministerial ambitions, having an erstwhile sex symbol constantly living off your rising star cannot possibly be a part of the plan. However, for Narendra Modi, who constantly refers to his maa, behen and betiyaan, seems to be seeing no end to the adulation being heaped upon him by erstwhile sex siren Mallika Sherawat. First came the declaration that he was the most eligible bachelor in India. “I think it’s Narendra Modi. He is smart, progressive and often misunderstood like me,” was how the 36-year-old described Modi while releasing the trailer for her forthcoming TV show _The Bachelorette India_   And now there’s the breathy birthday song, the breathiest one yet in Indian politics and perhaps the closest thing we’ll ever have to a Marilyn Monroe-JFK moment. [caption id=“attachment_1114523” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Mallika Sherawat in the video greeting Modi. Image courtesy: YouTube[/caption] “Happy burthday Narender-ji, Happy Burthday Narender Modi-ji” coos Mallika Sherawat in her latest video, launched strategically on the birthday of the BJP’s PM hopeful. There’s no cake, there’s no screengrab that any of Sherawat’s fans can take to use as a poster, and for Modi there’s really nothing to show for it barring the fact that there’s a behen out there who for some reason thinks he’s the best bachelor in India. If BJP’s Smriti Irani is to be believed, then Sherawat’s new found adulation is merely a result of logic not emotion. That’s easy enough to believe. With a show on the horizon that is banking only on her ability to attract controversy, Sherawat, like Modi, is left shouldering the responsibility of a campaign that she must win to stay relevant. Check out the video below in case you haven’t seen it yet.

and for some context, here is the legendary performance for JFK by Marilyn Monroe: