“You’re not cool if you don’t vote!!!” That was what actor Dulquer Salmaan told his followers on his Facebook page, which had more than 42 lakh likes, on Monday morning. And he posted a photo showing his inked finger along with the message.
A couple of hours later, actor Rima Kallingal posted on her Facebook page her picture with her husband, director Aashiq Abu, also showing their inked fingers. “We are a lucky few in this world who have the right to democratically select our government. Do your part. Vote,” she said on her social network page that has more than 18 lakh likes.
Rima and Dulquer are just two of the popular faces in Malayalam cinema that is taking more interest in politics.
“There is no doubt about the fact that our stars are becoming more politically aware,” said actor Jagadeesh, who is contesting as a Congress candidate from Pathanapuram, shortly after casting his vote in the Nemom constituency. “In my younger days as an actor, I found only a few of my colleagues in cinema, such as Sreenivasan, Mammootty, Mukesh, and Siddique taking an active interest in politics.”
Actor Sreelatha Namboothiri, who has been around much longer than Jagadeesh, nodded in agreement. “Not many stars were keen to vote earlier,” she said, after voting at Vattiyurkavu. “I hardly wasted my voting right though, ever since casting my first vote in Chennai back in the 1970s, for the AIDMK. Some of my colleagues, like Prem Nazir and Adoor Bhasi, also were very keen to vote.”
Among the stars who voted on Monday were Mammootty, Dileep, Fahad Fazil, Suresh Gopi, Balachandra Menon, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Kavya Madhavan, and Priyanka. “I have always been interested in politics and even contested elections in my student days,” said Priyanka, who cast her vote in the Vamanapuram constituency. “I have never ever missed a vote.”
Mukesh, whose vote was in the Eravipuram constituency though he was contesting for the CPI(M) in neighbouring Kollam, said he was happy to find younger actors casting their votes and asking people to do it themselves.
“I am glad that they are using their popularity to strengthen democracy,” he said.
Mukesh is one of the four popular stars in the fray this time around, making it the most star-studded Election in Kerala’s history. Not surprisingly more stars than ever before were in the campaign, too. And that had paved way for some bad blood too.
There was a furore when Mohanlal campaigned for K.B. Ganesh Kumar (LDF) at Pathanapuram.
