Okay! I know, now you don’t think only Bollywood stars can make politics interesting, attractive and super exciting (as IITians could also do that :P). But, one thing is for sure in India, politics and bollywood are inseparable.
There exists a very simple and explicit logic:
1). When movies like Nayak and Rajneeti can be super hits, totally centred on politics, then why should politics be behind them? It is so good to “move in circles” (geometric circles) with a star in the centre and take the intelligence of Indian voters for granted that they will go for actors because of their heroic image.
2). Even if political parties don’t get this idea themselves, there are other sources which keep on enlightening them. For instance, you can read or hear news very often about the views of actors on politics and “whether they want to join it or not” (as it’s the only next option Bollywood stars in our country have! Well, from the past experiences, this could actually be true!). And, since the elections are so near, so even if you hate politics like anything, you will get its highlights (thanks to the interviewers who interview your favourite actors).
But, one thing shouldn’t be misunderstood; it’s not all bad to have actors in politics, actors are very hard working and amazing in their work. Some actors like Late Sunil Dutt and Vinod Khanna have actually performed well in their assemblies and won hearts with their hard work and dedication. It should also be kept in mind, many actors quit politics because of their inability to work in this unfamiliar terrain. They couldn’t take out much time from their already so busy schedule. In addition to this, they aren’t even familiar with the place they has contested election from and won because of their fan following. Hence, most of them lose out in the next elections but save the party for the current elections.
Clearly, it’s a two way relationship. Those who have performed extremely well in the field of acting are willing to pursue another career option in the field of politics (to enhance their working life and fame) as they generally prefer to join mainstream parties, not to come up with an independent political option for serving the nation. As through the years, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna, Dileep Kumar and Govinda have joined the Congress, while actors such as Shatrughan Sinha, Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini and Dharmendra have joined the BJP. At the same time, political parties gain more popularity with more popular faces even if “it doesn’t make any sense” (anyways, it is so common in Indian politics!) or do any help in the political issues.
Bollywood stars could be good politicians (some of them proved this too) but still many other activities of Bollywood in politics should have some logically strong base. Otherwise, in 2004 Lok Sabha Elections, why on Earth would the Congress party require Shakti Kapoor or Celina Jaitley to tell the party’s virtues and BJP require Poonam Dhillon or Jitendra to highlight its merits!!! So logical and relatable, right?
