Film stars and politics.
NTR in what was then undivided Andhra Pradesh. MGR and Jayalalithaa in Tamil Nadu. These powerhouse stars of the Telugu and Tamil film industry ruled at the box office. But they also saw huge success off the silver screen, in the world of politics. They converted their mass appeal into votes and political power in their states. This was often done by a clever merging of their onscreen roles into a larger-than-life off-screen persona. A hero who could help people in the real world too. In this, MGR was helped in no small way by the screenplays of M Karunanidhi - who went on to script a massive political career of his own.
It would seem a logical step - the familiarity and popularity of big names of the film industry being carried over into votes. If Khushbu famously had a temple in her name in Tamil Nadu, why wouldn't she be welcomed in any political party she chose to join? It is always good to have a "deity" on your side.
In Karnataka, though, the connection between film stars and politics seems to be a little more complicated. Not that the adulation for stars is any less in this southern state - there are the fan clubs and giant cutouts and crowds clamouring to get a glimpse of their idols. But it is still really about their role as film stars - not for what they do on the political stage.
The Kannada film industry's biggest superstar was Dr Rajkumar. He chose to stay far away from electoral politics. No party in the state could claim extra closeness to him - although each one of them would have liked to. It wasn't that Dr Rajkumar avoided political issues - he made his stand clear on his desire to see the promotion and protection of Kannada and spoke up to see that Karnataka's interests were protected when it came to the sharing of Cauvery waters with neighbouring states. But it was a firm no when it came to associating with any political party - let alone standing as a candidate in any election. Such was his popularity that he would probably have won hands down in any seat he chose to contest from. His three actor sons also stayed away from politics - although his eldest son, Shiva Rajkumar is married to Geetha, the daughter of a former chief minister, the late S Bangarappa.
Another Kannada superstar, Vishnuvardhan, with a massive fan base, also steered clear of politics and political parties.
Other actors from Karnataka have entered the political scene in the state - but definitely not with the impact of their industry colleagues in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
The most recent star to dip his toes into political waters is Kichcha Sudeep, one of the biggest names in the Kannada film industry today. His announcement of support to the BJP campaign came with several riders. He was not joining the party, he would not fight an election, he was only showing support for his "dear Uncle Bommai Sir. (Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai)" He said this loyalty was to the Chief Minister, regardless of his party. Basavaraj Bommai was in the Janata Dal Secular before joining the BJP in 2008. In 2018, Sudeep campaigned for a Janata Dal Secular candidate.
Sudeep's less than whole-hearted endorsement of any party is not without precedent for Kannada star campaigners. In the 2018 Karnataka election, Yash of K.G.F: Chapter 2 fame, campaigned for a BJP candidate in one constituency and for a Janata Dal Secular candidate in another. The 'Rocking Star' said it was the candidate who mattered, not the party. (Kannada film stars are often given unique additional names by their fans.)
Sumalatha Ambareesh, a former actor and wife of the late actor Ambareesh, is Member of Parliament from Mandya. She had the support of the BJP and has declared her support for the party ahead of the state election, but when she campaigned and was elected in 2019, it was as an independent candidate, not the candidate of any party. She kept a small distance, but a distance nonetheless.
Her late husband, 'Rebel Star' Ambareesh, is perhaps the biggest name among Kannada film stars to have had a significant political career. Ambareesh spent time with the Congress and the Janata Dal and was elected to the Lok Sabha three times. But while he did serve briefly as minister of state for Information and Broadcasting in Manmohan Singh's government and later as housing minister in the Congress government in Karnataka - he was never seen as a die-hard politician. His immense popularity as a film star seemed to carry him along.
In earlier years, the very popular Anant Nag was a minister in JH Patel's Janata Dal government in the state. But his political career didn't reach the heights of his career in the Kannada film industry, in which he was a much-admired leading man.
Over the years, other actors have entered politics in the state with varying degrees of success - like 'Mukhyamantri' Chandru, Umashree and Kumar Bangarappa - the actor son of S Bangarappa. Former chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil, has been an actor. He also contested from Mandya in the 2019 national elections as a Janata Dal Secular candidate - losing to Sumalatha.
On Sudeep's support to the BJP, the Congress's Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted:
By and large, Kannada film stars - particularly the ones at the top of their game - do seem to be far more interested in sticking to their day job. Perhaps they prefer to deal with the uncertainty of the Friday first day first show rather than the rough and tumble of electoral politics.
(Maya Sharma is a senior television journalist and writer based in Bengaluru.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.