The recent US presidential elections were one of the most discussed and debated events of this year, including in India. Indians also watched both candidates keenly to decode their attitudes towards India, and one of the highlights of that conversation was October’s charity concert in New Jersey featuring now US President-Elect Donald Trump, where some Indian actors and dancers performed. Among those lighting the ceremonial lamp at that event with Trump was Manasvi Mamgai, Miss India World 2010 and an actress who’s featured in Action Jackson. She’s also the ambassador to India for the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC), which organized that event. Manasvi explains why she supported Trump, and what her interaction with the controversial US President-Elect has been like.
When asked ‘Why Trump?’, Manasvi says, “I simply chose the candidate who would be most beneficial for India and Indian Americans. Initially, I was also a little hesitant, but as I dug deeper into the specifics of each candidate’s policies, I learnt about the impact they would have on India. He admires PM Narendra Modi and I am certain that the two, together, augur a bright future for both India and the US.”
Earlier this month, Manasvi and RHC founder Shalabh Kumar, whom she considers a father figure, again met Trump and his children Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr, at the Trump Tower in New York City. Reports quoted Manasvi as saying that they discussed both India-US subjects and some personal matters during the meeting. Following that, they also attended his ‘thank you rally’ in Orlando. Kumar and Manasvi also said that Trump’s nickname for her is ‘Bollywood’.
October’s Bollywood concert, which they were all a part of, was much talked about in India for obvious reasons, but even though it featured Prabhu Dheva, Shriya Saran, Malaika Arora Khan and Indian dancers, some said that ‘Bollywood attendance’ at the event could have been higher. Manasvi says there might be “an RHC inauguration ball with an even more extravagant Bollywood show” next year, though. Explaining how she was involved in the initiative, Manasvi says, “After I became the RHC ambassador to India, we put together this Bollywood charity concert, ‘Humanity United Against Terror’, which Trump addressed.” She’s travelled with Kumar, whom she calls ‘Pops’, and has been involved in organizing a puja in a Hindu temple in Orlando with Eric Trump (Trump’s son). She also helped design the ‘Ab ki baar Trump sarkar’ video.
Manasvi says she first met Trump at the charity concert, and subsequently at a private donor lunch in Vegas, at Eric’s temple event in Orlando and at a private meet-and-greet with the Hindu community in the US. She says she finds him “very funny, an intelligent businessman and a straight talker.” “I think he will give a makeover to American politics,” she adds. But what about his controversial attitude towards women? “He had a locker room private talk that was caught on microphone 11 years ago,” she says. “But he apologized for it, and that was just talk.” She says she’s glad that people saw beyond that 11-year-old incident and chose the best candidate to run the country.
On her career, Manasvi says her work in the US has been pivotal for her, and she’s now hoping for a chance in Hollywood as well. She’s also looking forward to Trump’s inauguration in January next year. And what about Bollywood? “I want to continue my career in Bollywood, but in a more serious role,” she says.
