French President Emmanuel Macron with Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and others during a meeting in Mumbai. Mumbai: After landing in Mumbai in late hours of Monday (February 16), French President Emmanuel Macron barely took any time to rest and hopped into his sportswear just hours later for a jog at Mumbai’s iconic Marine Drive promenade, much to the disbelief and delight of the early risers there. Macron (48) was clad in a navy-blue t-shirt, black shorts and wore comfy running shoes. His adherence to his legendary fitness routine sure was a high-stakes blend of diplomacy, politics and symbolism that displayed French soft power in the country’s glam capital and financial powerhouse. As Macron jogged and paced ahead with a retinue of hard-faced security officials around him, Mumbai’s early-summer humidity seemed to affect him little. Morning walkers and office-goers in the area however, were pleasantly surprised at the sight of a European head-of-state passing by like it was just another normal day in his daily routine. The French Prez knew this and even smiled at the crowds, acknowledging them with a wave as the locals jostled to record videos which later went viral on social media. Memorial Visit The light morning mood soon made way for a sombre tribute to victims of 26/11 terror attack at the memorial in the main lobby of Hotel Taj Mahal Palace opposite the Gateway of India. Macron visited the memorial with his wife, First Lady Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron. “We paid tributes to the victims of the 2008 attacks. To their families and loved ones and to India: France stands with you. In the face of terrorism, unity and determination,” said Macron emphasizing solidarity between New Delhi and Paris against global terror. At a luncheon, a delegation from Bollywood’s bigwigs met Macron and discussed the cultural and cinematic ties between the two nations. Ordinary Indian became familiar with the marvels of the French capital almost six decades ago through the superhit musical, ‘An Evening In Paris’ (1967). Among those seen were some of Indian cinema’s biggest names like Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee, Zoya Akhtar, Richa Chadha and Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej. “Alongside legends of Indian cinema. Culture brings us together,” Macron posted on X, and even expressed interest in deeper film co-productions with Bollywood. Kapoor described the interaction as ‘inspiring’ with exchange of ideas on cinema and cultural collaboration between the two countries, and Bajpayee termed it as an honour. A grand welcome Earlier, Macron, visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was warmly welcomed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal, DGP Sadanand Date, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, other senior officials, and diplomats from both nations. Subsequently, Macron and Modi were closeted in delegation-level talks at the picturesque Arabian Sea-facing Lok Bhavan at Malabar Hill, when he said both France and India can give a lot to the world. “We have identified areas where we need to cooperate more to elevate our ties further,” said Macron, welcoming the recent India-European Union FTA.
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