Actors from Kollywood choosing politics

Monday, March 20, 2006

Chennai (UNI): 'Twinkle, twinkle Kollywood star(s), how I wonder what you are...'could be the new nursery rhyme in the coming days with more actors taking to politics in Tamil Nadu either midway in their career or just out of it and in a few cases, just as their screen glamour is waning.The May eight elections to the state Assembly are no exception. As is wont, a few more stars have taken the plunge into the murky world of politics, the most charismatic among them being heroes Vijayakant and Karthick, son of another popular yesteryear hero Late Muthuraman known for riveting performances. Muthuraman was so much in love with football, rather than politics, that he took time off a film shooting to fly down to Kolkata to garland the legendary Pele.

Even as one wonders why a celluloid icon of the status of Rajnikanth could not emulate the legendary MGR in this respect and his contemporary Kamal Hassan categorically keeps denying that he would never venture into it, Vijaykanth is now hogging the limelight off screen, making his entry into politics with a bang, launching his own party -- Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). Only May eight and publicly, May 11 will tell whether he would go down with a whimper.But his colleague Karthik, unable to find a slot in the ruling AIADMK or DMK, has made a small beginning drafting himself into the split state unit of the All India Forward Bloc, heading a faction.

Intellectuals and leaders like Janata Party President Dr Subramanian Swamy have often come out with strong criticism that Tamil Nadu has to be rid of filmstar-turned-politicians ruling the state. But if one takes into consideration the phenomenon of more stars taking to politics, this may not be possible.

The Kollywood stars seem to be unperturbed by the dissilusionment their Bollywood colleagues led by 'Big B', Shatrughan Sinha, Dharmendra and Raj Babbar have felt with politics.''Politics isn't about emotions but a musical chair,'' Big B Amitabh Bachchan had observed after quitting as Congress MP from Allahabad two decades ago. His Bollywood colleague Shatrughan Sinha who turned out to be the most successful star-turned politician later, going on to become a Union Minister, was also disgruntled later on. So is another big Bollywood hero Dharmendra, who is 'uncomfortable' with his role in the scheming world of politics, as his wife Hema Malini had observed recently.What's more, another successful actor Raj Babbar has run into rough weather in Samajwadi Party and was even forced to criticise it as the most ''unsocial'' party.