Even as the hubbub over Indian news channels getting exclusive interviews with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi settles down, American talk show host David Letterman is joining the list of the PM’s interlocutors.
Modi will soon appear with American talk show host David Letterman on "Years of Living Dangerously", a documentary series on climate change put together by the National Geographic channel.
The sneak preview shows an excited Letterman preparing notes for his interview with Modi and declining sandwiches on the side. There's a shot of a peacock thrown in, just so the viewers are left in no doubt that this is indeed India.
In the promo, Letterman says that he’s not looking for a controversial interview. “I don’t want to just have a boom boom, thank you goodnight,” he says. “So my goal here is a conversation, containing several points both personal and with regard to environmental issues and climate change.”
So Letterman is seen asking Modi if the millions in India who don't have electricity can directly transition to solar power. Considering India launched the International Solar Alliance at the CoP21 Climate Conference in December last year, the question was to be expected. Modi replies in Hindi that if the world helps with technology and resources, he'd be the first person to make the move from coal to clean energy.
The Emmy Award winning series, which has been on air since April 2014, has featured an impressive star cast, from American actor Jessica Alba to M Sanjayan, global conservation scientist.
The weekly episodes feature celebrity investigators and experienced journalists traveling to different parts of the world, talking to ordinary people as well as experts on climate change. The second episode of Season 1, had America Ferrera (best known for playing Betty in "Ugly Betty") travel to Kansas, in the United States, to report on how public policy has led to the growth of wind and solar power in the state.
Episodes 8 and 9 were focused on Bangladesh and how climate change affects developing nations. American President Barack Obama made an appearance, speaking on the long-term challenge that global warming poses.
Letterman is also expected to travel to villages in India to explore the power crisis and the role of the United States in India's energy future. The episode is set to air on October 30.
Watch the promo for the interview here: