Zac Goldsmith squirms after being asked to name favourite Bollywood film in cringeworthy interview

'Let me think… No I’m not going to give you one. I can’t think of a favourite'

Ashley Cowburn
Sunday 01 May 2016 14:10 BST
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Zac Goldsmith claims to love Bollywood but fails to name a single actor or film

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Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

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Zac Goldsmith endured one of the more embarrassing pre-election interviews after proclaiming himself a Bollywood fan - before failing to name a single actor or movie.

The London Mayoral contender and self-professed Bollywood enthusiast made the slip-up while being questioned on camera outside the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on the red carpet of the Asian Awards.

“I am a Bollywood fan," he declared in the interview with Red Carpet News.

“Anything with a Bollywood theme, I will lap it up."

Eager to press Mr Goldsmith further, the interviewer asks: “You say you’re a Bollywood fan – do you have a favourite actor, a favourite film?”

After a short – and markedly excruciating – pause to ponder his answer, Mr Goldsmith responded: “Let me think… No I’m not going to give you one. I can’t think of a favourite."

“You can’t think of a single Bollywood film or actor?” the journalist asks.

An increasingly flustered Mr Goldsmith replies: “I can’t think of a favourite. I love almost everything about Bollywood.

"I love the atmosphere, the colour and I love the excitement. I want as much Bollywood as possible here in London as possible.”

The cringeworthy incident is reminiscent of Mr Goldsmith’s experience during a quick-fire interview in the back of a London black cab with the BBC’s Norman Smith.

Zac Goldsmith struggles to answer London trivia questions

After failing to name the Tube station one along from Tottenham Court Road on the Central Line, Mr Goldsmith said: “I’m going to stop you there: most people have a route or two routes and they become like an extension of the body.

“But for me when it's outside the norm you have apps like Citymapper which you rely on every day," he said.

Mr Smith added: “Where is the Museum of London?”

“The Museum of London is … where is the Museum of London… the Museum of London,” Mr Goldsmith responded. “I went there very, very recently … I can’t tell you where.”

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