Overview
- Suniel Shetty told Times Now’s Baatein Dil Se on Saturday that his 15‑month‑old granddaughter, Evaarah, opens a Sai Baba book each morning, says “Modiji,” and pretends to offer a laddoo to a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Shetty said the behaviour began after a nanny briefly pointed out a photograph at an airport and that neither he nor Evaarah’s parents taught the child to perform the ritual.
- In the same interview Shetty described himself as a long‑time admirer of Modi, recalled meeting him in Ahmedabad around 2010, and said his remarks were about personal respect rather than party politics.
- Major Indian outlets reproduced the Times Now interview across entertainment and news pages and some social posts and commentators criticised Shetty for likening a political figure to a devotional object, showing differing public reactions.
- Coverage noted the family has largely kept Evaarah out of the public eye and framed the anecdote alongside Shetty’s recent film release, highlighting how private family moments can draw public and media attention.