US, April 6 -- The Badshah of Bollywood, with his transnational prominence, has been India's most effective cultural diplomat.

It was the middle of the monsoons in 1988. New Delhi was wet, humid, and indifferent to the dreams of its inhabitants. There was an unusual buzz at the Mass Communication Research Centre on the campus of Jamia University. The staff and students spoke in excited tones about a new student who had enrolled in the very exclusive MA program.

That was where I took notice of him for the first time. There he was, standing in the foyer. Ruffled hair, the top two buttons of the shirt undone, a thick military-style belt on his waist, stylishly holding a cigarette in his hand, and a determined, confident look on his handso...