South India to Trump's election: the happy marriage of stardom and politics

The phrase 'mediatisation of politics', describes the phenomenon of celebrities becoming politicians

For many in India, Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States wasn’t surreal as much as an uncanny replay of familiar stories, especially for those accustomed to the saga and careers of south India’s film-star politicians.

The issue is fresh in our minds following the recent death of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the last of the three great actor-turned-politicians of south India.

Jayaram was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, a state where film personalities have dominated politics since 1967. That was the year former actor Ronald Reagan became the governor