A Sprinkling Of Stardust For Andhra Pradesh Polls

A race is on among political parties in Andhra Pradesh to rope in film stars to boost their chances in the general election.

Although political parties in the southern states have done this in past elections, there is an unprecedented rush this time for using the cinema worlds glamour appeal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had in the past ridiculed its rivals for turning to film stars, has now not only joined but is leaving its opponents behind in the race.

The Congress, which lacks a reigning heartthrob from the Telugu film world, is planning to bring in Hindi film star Sridevi. A party MP and top film producer T Subbirami Reddy is said to be wooing the actress, who originally belongs to Andhra Pradesh, to support the Congress campaign in the state. Sridevis father had unsuccessfully contested the 1996 Lok Sabha poll from Chennai as a Congress candidate.

 

After months of efforts, the BJP got its first prize catch on January 11 when renowned Telugu film actor Krishanamraju joined the party. Before this, lesser known actors including two screen villains, Giri Babu and Prasad Babu, had joined the BJP. Film star-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha member Mohan Babu, who was expelled from the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in October, has decided to campaign for the BJP.

I chose the BJP because of my ardent belief that only the BJP could provide a stable and clean government and its leader Atal Behari Vajpayee is the most suitable person to hold the position of Prime Minister after the countrys first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Krishanamraju declared. He had unsuccessfully contested the 1991 Lok Sabha election as a Congress candidate.

However, political observers question if Krishnamraju, in his late fifties and no longer a hit with filmgoers, can swing votes towards the BJP. They say his appeal is confined only to his home coastal Andhra region.

Krishnamraju, known as the rebel star, has acted in nearly 200 films in a three decade-long career. He started his film career in 1966 with Chilka Gorinka. His latest film, Maa Nannaki Pelli (My daddys wedding), is now showing in theatres with reasonable response. Another film, Khaidi Garu (Mr Prisoner), was due to be released yesterday. In this film he co-stars with Mohan Babu, who was once close to Chief Minister and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu but was expelled from the party after he levelled corruption charges against TDP leaders and ministers.

Babu has now cast his lot with the BJP. He addressed a public meeting with BJP chief L K Advani in his home district of Chittoor, which is also Chief Minister Naidus home district. One star eluding the BJP is Vijayashanti, one of the most popular and highest paid southern film actresses. Initially the BJP was confident that Vijayashanti would join its ranks or at least campaign for it as she had met Advani in Delhi. But the actress is reported to be in two minds on whether to join the BJP or the Congress. Those close to her said that Vijayashanti got cold feet about joining the BJP after Sonia Gandhis decision to campaign for the Congress.

The story going around in political and film circles is that a pro-Congress film producer offered her a multi-million rupee contract of four films with a condition that she should not campaign for the BJP.

The TDP has its own glamour brigade headed by its Rajya Sabha member Jaya Prada who is likely to be fielded in one of the constituencies of coastal Andhra region to which she belongs. Other film stars in TDP ranks include popular actress Sharda and character actor Kaikala Satyanarayana, both members of the dissolved 11th Lok Sabha, and Murli Mohan. Popular actress Madhavi is also reportedly planning to join the TDP.

Chief Minister Naidu is also trying to rope in famous Telugu actor and his brother-in-law Balakrishna, the son of TDP founder and former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao. But political observers say it is doubtful if Balakrishna would oblige Naidu who is seen as having ignored NTRs family. However, popular comedian Rajendra Prasad will campaign for the TDP.

Babu Mohan, another film comedian who lost in the 1996 general election as a candidate of the TDP (NTR) breakaway party of NTRs widow Lakshmi Parvathy, is also likely to defect to the TDP. Another star, Rajshekhar, who campaigned for Lakshmi Parvathi, is keeping mum.

The Congress trails the BJP and the TDP in roping in film stars. The hit film pair of Krishna and Jamuna who have contested the Lok Sabha election as party candidates are now far from the Congress. Actress Jayasudha, who campaigned for the Congress last time, is now planning to join the BJP.

India Abroad News Service

Some film personalities are also planning to launch their own outfits to contest the poll. Last month, leading film producer, director and actor Dasari Narayana Rao declared he would float the regional Telugu Talli (Telugu mother) party with the slogan of ending the hegemony of the upper castes.

But he subsequently put off the launch till after the Lok Sabha elections. Mohan Babu was also planning to have his own group, but eventually opted for the BJP.

The film world is closely linked to that of politics in the southern states, having given two Chief Ministers besides N T Rama Rao, the most popular Telugu film actor who gave up a lucrative film career to launch the TDP in the early 1980s. Former Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers M G Ramachandran and Jayaram Jayalalitha were top Tamil film stars.