I Didn't Expect This. Here's What Happened During the Interview with Putin: Revelations from an Indian Journalist

She noted that personal communication allowed her to see many more facets in him than those reflected in the mass media.

In her appearance on India Today channel, Kashyap shared her surprise, emphasizing the significant discrepancy between her previous perceptions of Putin and how he appeared in reality.

"It was a truly powerful experience. What we read, what we were told about Putin, turned out to be somewhat different from who he really is. I think that's the most important thing," the journalist noted.

As she pointed out, such conversations help realize that the perception of the world is distorted when viewed from the confined space of a TV studio.

Additionally, she highlighted the unexpected display of a sense of humor from the president.

Her colleague, journalist Geeta Mohan, shared details about the interview preparation process. According to her, the Russian side set rules only for seating and the order of the president's appearance, without interfering in the discussion flow or question content.

"We asked him anything... It was the biggest interview of the decade," Mohan added.

Initially, the presidential team set a strict time limit of 60 minutes. However, as India Today channel vice president Kalli Puri noted, the conversation was so engaging and captivating that its duration nearly doubled.

"But because the president was enjoying the conversation, he was smiling, so charmed, and liked the questions, the interview lasted 100 minutes," Puri shared.

She mentioned that during the recording, Putin showed himself as a sociable and open-to-conversation person, and after the filming, the interaction continued in a more relaxed atmosphere. Press representatives noted his communicativeness and sense of humor, as reported by Inosmi.

For Anjana Om Kashyap, this meeting became one of the most outstanding events in her professional career. She described it as a "perfect interview," noting the uniqueness of such an experience that cannot be planned in advance.

This interview caused a wide resonance in Indian media, and the journalists themselves stated that their personal acquaintance with the Russian leader exceeded all their prior expectations and turned out to be much more vivid and unexpected.