Politicians and actors have been shining on the electoral firmament for a long time. Those who know Hindi always feel that there is very little difference between the two, literally. One is neta and the other is abhineta. However, all stars, who turn to politics can’t be painted with the same brush. Some actors take politics as a mere indulgence while for the others it is a commitment.
For instance, M.G. Ramachandran took up Kamraj’s mid-day meal scheme in a big way. It was considered populist, today even economists swear by it. Arvind Kejriwal came to power within a year of forming a political party but N.T. Ramarao achieved this feat many summers back.
Up North, the electorate is considered wise enough and here politicians are considered to be mere puppets of their political masters. However, here again, there was a Sunil Dutt and now there is a Raj Babbar who, seem committed. On the flip side there was the strange case of Rajesh Khanna, who almost beat Lal Krishna Advani at the height of BJP’s popularity in 1991 in New Delhi. When Advani vacated the seat Khanna won the by-election with ease but didn’t repay the public support and remained an elusive star. The case of Dharmendra and Govinda is no different. Amitabh Bachchan took a plunge for friends’ sake and left. This time, it is Javed Jafferi’s turn as he takes on Rajnath Singh in Lucknow. This time, there are more than two dozen film stars in the fray. Even territories like West Bengal considered intellectually mature have many actors fighting it out in the festival of democracy.
Analysts say that this time the stars have been fielded because there was very little time for canvassing and stars have an instant connect with the people. Also, the credibility of our politicians is at an all-time low and the voter is being enticed to believe that film stars are role models.
Son of the soil
“Party Ka Neta Nahin Jaunpur Ka Beta Hoon”, Ravi Kishan Shukla is using his flair for punchlines and the local boy image to impress upon the electorate in Jaunpur. As the Congress candidate, his agenda for his constituency is development and he maintains that the fact that Jaunpur has not voted for a Congress candidate for the last 24 years is working in his favour. Son of a priest, Kishan says he knows the area because his parents still live in Jaunpur and he keeps coming back. “Here the regional parties have not been able to deliver. I have campaigned for Congress in the past. I thought why not take the plunge when I know what ails Jaunpur,” he says during a break from the back-to-back meetings.
“I am not going to run away because an important part of my life is still here. I have agricultural land here and I know the problems for the farmers. They can’t go to the city to sell their crops because the basic infrastructure is in shambles. The place needs small scale industries. Women have to go in the open to answer the nature’s call. I intend to build latrines in every village. I am not making any lofty promises because I have to start from scratch. India is not shining here,” asserts Kishan.
Kishan intends to realise the tourism potential of Jaunpur. “The place is just 35 kilometres away from Benaras and is full of historical sites yet no tourist comes here because there is virtually no road. There are long power cuts because once a transformer breaks down it takes a year to set it right,” says Kishan, who left the city to make a future in Bollywood. “Migration is also a big issue here. Because of lack of infrastructure and job opportunities, no educated youngster wants to live here. The place has given many IAS officers but hardly anyone returned to change the state of affairs here. There are seven to eight lakh migrants from the city in Mumbai and around one to two lakh in Delhi. I want to create job opportunities here so that nobody has to leave his parents.”
Kishan emerged on the scene as one of the actors in Sridevi-starrer Army where Shah Rukh Khan did a cameo. The film flopped and Kishan was discarded as a wannabe Mithun Chakraborty. At the turn of the millennium, Bhojpuri cinema was going through a revival because Bollywood was catering to NRI audience. In desperation Kishan returned home, copied Shah Rukh Khan and did a series of anti-hero roles including Tum Hamar Haoo , a take off on Darr . But his big break came in the form of Panditji Bataein Na Biyah Kab Hoee . It put him in the league of Manoj Tiwari, who had emerged as a superstar of Bhojpuri films by then. Kishan got national recognition with Bigg Boss and it brought him back in Hindi films where in his second innings his talent was better exploited by directors like Shyam Benegal ( Well Done Abba ) and Mani Ratnam ( Ravan ).
Interestingly, Nagma, his heroine of Panditji, is also in fray from Meerut on Congress ticket and his competitor Tiwari is with BJP. He doesn’t want to comment on the rivalry but Kishan says he is not leaving films.
“Cinema is my first love. I will die if I don’t act. I am taking politics as a project and will work for my constituency like a good NGO does.” But then why not open an NGO? “You have to join politics to reach out to the masses. As a filmstar I can reach out to 40-50 thousand followers but not 20 lakh people.” Kishan holds that stars can make good politicians. “We have seen it happening in the South. It depends on the intent of the individual. I want to payback to the place that made me so that at night when I sleep my conscience doesn’t question me. I want Jaunpur to become a centre for Bhojpuri films. These days films are being shot in Benaras. So why not Jaunpur?”
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