For quite sometime some national political parties have been bringing in a few Bollywood film actors to Manipur on the eve of some elections in the hope that it would ensure large attendance in the election meetings. However, in almost all cases the movers and shakers of the national parties were disappointed and indications are that this time they will not be bringing such super stars to attract the voters to the election meetings.
On one occasion, a national party which was preparing a public meeting in Imphal had spread a rumour tendentiously that the super star of the Hindi film world Amitabh Bachhan would be coming to address the meeting. Once it became clear that he would not be coming and that they had been taken for a ride, the people who had come for a glimpse of the film star were not much keen to listen to the state and national leaders of the party left in a huff.
One woman BJP candidate was in the fray against the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in the last Assembly elections. The party brought Hema Malini for addressing a public meeting. However, this film actor who was once the dream girl of the people failed to wield her magic wand. There was thin attendance even by the standard of Manipur. And they could not understand what she was saying since Hindi is Greek to the Manipuris. There was disappointment all around and indications are that the BJP shall not be bringing Hema Malimi and other film actors to Manipur this time.
All these are because of the fact that in Manipur the stars and super stars of the Hindi films are strangers to the young generation who are the vote banks in the state. The Revolutionary People's Front and its military wing the People's Liberation Army had banned the Hindi films and songs from Manipur for ever. This is in protest against the alleged bludgeoning to death of a ranking leader of the Revolutionary People's Front after being overpowered by the security personnel. There was a high level meeting of the leaders of the outfit somewhere in Imphal when the security personnel raided the house where they were congregating.
All these years, there has been no Hindi film and song in Manipur. Instead, the people have been depending on South Korean and South Indian films which are on open sale in the state. As a counter move, the union government had opened a music channel in the All India Radio, Imphal so that the youth are not separated from the national language. However, there is not much popularity. In absence of films being screened in the cinema halls, there is no charm and enthusiasm among the boys and girls.
