Jayaprada and Nagma have a lot in common. Both come from the world of glamour, both emerged stronger from personal turmoil, both made a mark in the southern film industry and went on to work in multiple languages, including Bhojpuri, which is considered to be the language of stars who aspire to be politicians. Their electoral destiny lay 50 kms apart but while Jayaprada is behaving like a seasoned politician, Nagma has yet to learn how to negotiate the hurly burly of hinterland politics. She gets worked up in press conferences, avoids getting out of the SUV and at times cancels meets at the last minute. Yes, she does hold a kid here and embraces an elderly woman there but you can make out that these are early days for the star at the hustings.
She has also got a raw deal from some of her supporters. Recently, she was allegedly kissed by a Congress legislator in public. The video went viral. Of course, she denies it and the legislator says she is like her sister but all this is shifting the focus from the task at hand. In the four-cornered contest in Meerut she has a lot of catching up to do. She is flaunting her mixed parentage in a constituency which is not far from Muzaffarnagar and where polarisation is almost complete. She is often heard saying that her father is a Hindu and her mother is a Muslim and she was born on Christmas. Her detractors are quick to underline that her real name is Nandita.
There is young crowd at her meetings but to many she is just another star at the electoral box office whom they can aspire to touch. She slapped one such hopeful, again drawing negative publicity. The denials didn’t help either. The Election Commission is now providing her extra security and her support staff has roped in burly bouncers but sources say that in the land of real life Dabanggs, people don’t want a first-time politician who needs security before election. The touch-me-not image has little value here. Local poll pundits are not giving her much weight but Nagma is holding fort and her supporters are chanting “Muqabla Muqabla Hoga”.
