Harsh Goenka, chairman of RPG Enterprises, has drawn a Bollywood parallel to the dramatic clash between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. Mr Goenka has shared a clip from the 1995 Hindi film Hum Dono, starring the late Rishi Kapoor and Nana Patekar, suggesting that the tense exchange between the two leaders was “well anticipated by Bollywood.”
The White House Confrontation
What started as a diplomatic meeting quickly turned into a tense standoff. Within minutes, Trump sternly told Zelensky, “Either make a deal, or we are out.” His tone grew sharper as he added, “You are in big trouble…you are not winning this.” Zelensky pushed back, saying, “We are in our own country, and we have stayed strong all this time. We have even thanked you for it (your support),” to which US Vice President JD Vance responded, “In this meeting?”
As tensions escalated, Trump accused Zelensky of “gambling with the lives of millions” and “gambling with World War 3.” JD Vance spoke of diplomacy, only for Zelensky to fire back, “What kind of diplomacy?” This led to Vance accusing the Ukrainian leader of being “disrespectful” in the President’s office.
The Bollywood Parallel
The Hum Dono scene that Mr Goenka shared perfectly captures this confrontation, with Rishi Kapoor, labelled as “Trump,” aggressively confronting Nana Patekar, labelled as “Zelensky.”
In the clip, Rishi Kapoor’s character tells Nana Patekar’s character, “I am not your servant, nor your father’s servant.” When Mr Patekar retorts, “Mind your language,” Mr Kapoor silences him, saying, “Keep quiet. The problem is yours. You need the money, you need the signature. Request it properly. Say ‘please.’ Plead with me. Is this the way to ask for help?”
The scene continues with Mr Kapoor demanding that Mr Patekar fold his hands and plead, ultimately forcing him to say, “Please come with me.”
Trump vs Zelensky- well anticipated by Bollywood pic.twitter.com/VGH5tkivnR
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) March 1, 2025
The internet was quick to react.
A user wrote, “Haha… perfect clipping. Surprisingly, no old people involved to stop the argument.”
Haha… perfect clipping. Surprisingly, no old people involved to stop the argument. ????
— Prashanth Vemuganti (@prashanthpsi) March 1, 2025
Another wrote, “this is so accurate.”
this is so damn accurate ????????????
— KASH ???? (@pixiedustbabe) March 2, 2025
“Indeed,this exact scene got re-created in White House,” a comment read.
Indeed,this exact scene got re-created in WH, ????????????
— DevD (@devendrakumarda) March 1, 2025
As tensions escalated during Friday’s meeting, Trump, visibly frustrated, remarked that negotiating with Zelensky was becoming increasingly difficult. Hours later, Trump, in a Truth Social post, declared that Zelensky was not ready for peace as long as America was involved. He accused the Ukrainian President of disrespecting the United States in the Oval Office and said that Zelensky would only be welcome back when he was genuinely prepared for negotiations.