Video: Piyush Goyal shares Bollywood anecdote to praise India's soft power

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has praised Bollywood as India's biggest cultural export, describing it as a "brand recognised the world over."Speaking at the 4th Festival of Ideas in New Delhi, Goyal pushed back against the idea that India has failed to build global brands. He said India's true strength lies in its people, talent and cultural exports like Bollywood.To highlight the Hindi film industry's global reach, he shared an anecdote about an unnamed foreign leader whose daughter wants to work in Bollywood.“I have a Deputy Prime Minister of one of the most powerful countries in the world who has been behind me because his daughter wants to work with Bollywood,” he told the gathering.“I have a Deputy Prime Minister of one of the most powerful countries in the world who has been behind me because his daughter wants to work with Bollywood,” says Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal https://t.co/Mr7hJqAnBm— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) October 31, 2026 The anecdote drew a swipe from Congress MP Pawan Khera, who asked whether Goyal was “auditioning for his post-BJP career”. “Commerce Minister by day, Bollywood casting agent by night,” Khera wrote on X.GOYAL'S WORK ETHIC REMARKSThe statement came days after Goyal's pitch to Dutch investors at the India-Netherlands Business Forum sparked a debate over working hours and work-life balance. “Indians want to work hard. Nobody in India will tell you it's five o'clock. And certainly no Indian will ever remind you it's the weekend,” he said while pitching India as an investment destination.Critics, including the Kerala IT Workers Union (KITU), accused Goyal of glorifying long working hours and burnout while dismissing work-life balance.The union drew parallels with the debate on working hours sparked by Infosys founder Narayana Murthy. Goyal, however, defended his stance and rejected strict work-life balance as a foreign concept."Some foreign mindset people who want to follow it can follow them. Successful people have not been succeeded by watching the clock," he said.- Ends