Maybe he can join Bollywood: Piyush Goyal quips about 'dashing' Russian Minister
India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday jokingly suggested that his Russian counterpart, Anton Alikhanov, may be in the “wrong profession”, saying the “dashing” minister could soon find himself starring in a Bollywood film.
Goyal made the light-hearted remark while addressing the INNOPROM India 2026 event, where the two ministers were discussing ways to deepen India-Russia cooperation in trade, industry and other sectors.
“I was telling him he's probably in the wrong profession. We should expand our audiovisual cooperation and possibly we'll see him starring in a Bollywood film, very soon,” Goyal said.Trade Minister Goyal Says Counterpart Alikhanov Is 'Dashing'"Maybe we'll see him starring in Bollywood very soon." pic.twitter.com/TLGVVczJwX— RT_India (@RT_India_news) September 10, 2026
The comment came during a plenary session focused on strengthening Russian-Indian trade and industrial ties, as both countries work towards an ambitious target of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.
Speaking later at the India-Russia Business Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi, where Alikhanov was also present, Goyal said India and Russia were working towards achieving $100 billion in bilateral trade and $50 billion in two-way investments by 2030.
Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Goyal said, “The greatest strength of India-Russia relations lies in trust”, while stressing the scale of the challenge ahead.
“Let me be candid, what it means arithmetically. A $100 billion target from a $60 billion base means adding about $40 billion in the next four years. That is not a modest task,” Goyal said.
He said achieving the target would require sustained double-digit growth year-on-year and significant efforts from both governments and businesses.
The two sides are also fast-tracking negotiations for a new bilateral investment treaty (BIT), which Goyal said would provide investors in both countries with greater legal certainty.Held a productive meeting with Mr. Anton Alikhanov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, at Bharat Mandapam.Discussed deepening India–Russia trade and industrial cooperation, diversifying the trade basket, and strengthening supply chain linkages. pic.twitter.com/AU8I0upO2X— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) September 10, 2026
India and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are also committed to an early conclusion of negotiations for a free trade agreement. The EAEU includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.INDIA SEEKS TO NARROW TRADE DEFICIT
The two ministers discussed the large imbalance in bilateral trade and ways to increase Indian exports to Russia, including agricultural products, pharmaceuticals and textiles, a government official said.
Bilateral trade hit a record $68.7 billion in 2024-25 before falling to around $60 billion in 2025-26. Indian exports to Russia remained below $5 billion, while Russian exports to India exceeded $55 billion, with energy accounting for a major share of India’s imports.
Goyal said exports of several Indian products to Russia had recently recorded significant growth.
Exports of meat and meat products more than doubled from $36 million to $97 million, while fish and aquatic products rose from $123 million to $159 million. Edible vegetable exports increased from $38 million to $54 million, while coffee, tea and spices grew 13% to $116 million.
Exports of milling industry products also nearly doubled.RUSSIA PITCHES NEWS AREAS OF COOPERATION
Alikhanov said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Moscow by the end of the year. He highlighted rare earths and microelectronics as potential areas for deeper cooperation between the two countries.
He also invited Indian pharmaceutical companies to invest in active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing in Russia.
Industry leaders said the $100 billion trade target was achievable, pointing to the financial infrastructure already in place to facilitate trade in national currencies.
The discussions come as India and Russia seek to broaden their economic partnership beyond energy and address the widening trade imbalance while setting a more ambitious framework for bilateral investment and commerce.- EndsPublished By: Ritaban MisraPublished On: Sep 11, 2026 10:39 IST
