<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly INDIA April 26, 2019 | Toronto 10 India elections: Stars foretell a rosy picture but with tinted glasses! Continued from page 01 In the past, some top stars like ‘Tragedy King’ Dilip Kumar, ‘Pride of Actors’ Shivaji Ganesan, Vyjyanthimala and Nargis played lacklustre roles in politics as members of the Rajya Sabha. On the other hand, actress and Rajya Sabha member Shabana Azmi, also a formidable social activist, has refused to be sucked into the muddle of politics. Though powerful influencers are few and far between, celebrities who refused to toe the party line and continued holding strong individual views on political issues were ‘Evergreen Hero’ Dev Anand and playback singer Kishore Kumar. Both dared to speak against the Emergency (1975-77) imposed by the Congress government. Just as Bollywood actors have transited from films to politics, Tamil Nadu is no stranger to on-screen heroes transforming into successful politicians. <strong>The</strong> big names include M K Karunanidhi and Jayalalitha, both of who shaped the state’s politics for over three decades. Kamal Hassan, south mega star, who launched his political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (People’s Justice Centre) early last year, is drawing huge crowds. <strong>The</strong> masses are ecstatic and going into a frenzy seeing the mustachioed megastar step onto the stage. Although not contesting, he has fielded candidates and is campaigning for them. <strong>The</strong> phenomenon of actors entering politics has also been true to Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. N T Rama Rao served as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh between 1983-1994. Cine stars M G Ramachandran and Chiranjeevi, who had an electrifying presence in Telugu films, were other successful actorsturned politicians. It was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime (1999- 2004) that provided a stellar show with the entry of Bollywood villains-turnedheroes Shatrughan Sinha and Vinod Khanna joining the BJP. Both were elevated to the post of ministers in the Council of Ministers. Hema Malini too first campaigned for BJP candidate Vinod Khanna in 1999 and officially joined the party in 2004. She served as an MP in Rajya Sabha and in the 2014 LS elections defeated Chaudhary Charan Singh’s grandson and Rashtriya Lok Dal candidate Jayant Chaudhary from Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. She is re-contesting from Mathura. With an increase in celebrity activism, BJP is once again aimed at pursuing film stars after a similar experiment paid off in 2014 on fielding Bhojpuri actor and singer Manoj Tiwari Bengali singer Babul Supriyo, and actors Paresh Rawal (not contesting) and Kirron Kher. A new lease of life has been added to the polls with Bollywood stars Sunny Deol and Moushumi Chatterjee, Bhojpuri singers and actors Ravi Kishen and Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirahua, the bhangra pop and Sufiana singer Hans Raj Hans, and a name synonymous with salons and hair styling Jawed Habib joining the BJP. Those siding with the Congress include, television actor and Bigg Boss 11 winner Shilpa Shinde and model and Bigg Boss 11 contestant Arshi Khan. Even as colour and gaiety is added to the great tamasha that Indian politics has become, Professor Shyam Saran admits that celebrity presence does influence voters. However, he adds, “It’s also a big responsibility on their part. Getting noticed is only the first step towards jump-starting their political career. Citizens can no way benefit from a celebrity-turned-politician if the person has nothing substantial to bring to the table.” <strong>The</strong> art of wooing wellknown faces from the Indian cinema began with the Congress in the 1980s. Bollywood actor Sunil Dutt set a precedent how reel life hero can be loved and admired in real life. Unlike some actors, for him, politics was not a fallback career option. He established a connect with the electorate and went on to become member of the Lok Sabha five times. Similarly, ‘Angry Young Man’ Amitabh Bachchan entered politics around the same time to support his friend Rajiv Gandhi, then prime minister of India. He contested on Congress ticket and won from the Allahabad (now Prayagraj) constituency. But disgusted with the cesspool politics, quit midway through his term in Parliament. Elected from Mumbai North in 2004, Govinda faced lot of criticism the very next year for his inaccessibility by people of his constituency during the Mumbai floods. He too quit midterm and returned to films. <strong>The</strong> heart-throb of millions, ‘He-Man’ Dharmendra won the 2004 General Elections on a BJP ticket from Bikaner in Rajasthan. Soon, he realised that politics was not his cup of lassi (butter milk, a popular drink among the Punjabi community). Locals inserted an advertisement in a newspaper inquiring about their ‘missing’ politician, who never visited the constituency after winning! ‘Kaka’ Rajesh Khanna, the first superstar of Bollywood, who starred in 15 consecutive hit films (1969 to 1971), still an unbroken record, campaigned for the Congress at the behest of Rajiv Gandhi in 1984. He fought the election from New Delhi constituency, losing to BJP’s L K Advani by a narrow margin, but in a by-election in 1992, defeated fellow actor Shatrughan Sinha. By the time his tenure came to an end, Khanna had lost interest in active politics. He continued to campaign for the party until 2012 Punjab Assembly elections. As celebrity campaigners are gung-ho for political parties, the tempo of the election beat has gone up many notches in this sweltering heat.
<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly April 26, 2019 | Toronto 11 <strong>The</strong> Battle Begins For India’s Heart & Soul Union ministers, ex-CMs, veterans and strongmen face voters today in 20 states and UTs on 91 Lok Sabha seats, which in 2014 had elected BJP on 32, Congress on 7, and regional parties & Independents on 52 seats. A quick look at the big guns, hot seats and keen contests Punjabi News Channel AFTER ONTARIO NOW LAUNCHED IN BC & ALBERTA FIBE TV Channel No. 2329 TELUS Channel No. 2361
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