Malayalam movie stars promise to make politics action-packed and entertaining

With the ageing and ailing leaders fast losing their charisma, political parties in Kerala are vying with one another to recruit candidates who appeal to masses by their celebrity status in film, art and cultural fields.

The CPM was the first to rope in superstar Mammooty and actor and author late Murali. Though both of them refrained from taking up a formal role in the party, Mammootty was made the Chairman of the party-controlled Kairali TV channel and Murali was made the Chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy. CPM netted a prize catch last year when it got Innocent, a leading comedy actor of Malayalam cinema, to successfully contest as an Independent candidate in Chalakkudi constituency in the last Lok Sabha election.

If CPM can have Mammootty, why not we net in Mohanlal, arch on-screen rival of Mammootty?, thought the Congress leaders. Though Congress made many overtures to Mohanlal, he declined to fall into any `political branding’.

Congress, then ruling at the Centre, made him a Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. The present Congress-led Government in Kerala too has reportedly recommended Mohanlal’s name for the Padma Bhushan award, overlooking Mammootty’s claim. All these favours failed to change Mohanlal’s mind in favour of the Congress.

The Congress, for the time being, has to content with two actresses already in its net–Sheela and Kushbu. They were used extensively to campaign for the party candidate in the Aruvikkara by-election in Kerala.

There are now reports of Mohanlal inching closer to the BJP. He is reported to have got the blessings of the Nair Service Society (NSS) leadership for his entry into the BJP.

Ironically, in an interesting slip-up, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a gathering, mispronounced the first name of the Mahatma calling him Mohanlal Karamchand Gandhi, instead of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Mohanlal’s move comes at a time when Suresh Gopi, who forms Mollywood’s magic trio along with Mammootty and Mohanlal, is all set to join the BJP. He has told a TV news channel that he will join the BJP on a date suggested by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Suresh Gopi maintains close relations with the Modi and has met him in Gujarat before the Lok Sabha elections, and he was one among those rare people who got direct invitation from Modi to attend his oath taking ceremony. He has now been appointed by the Modi Government as the Chairman of National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), a post that will give him control over the levers of the film industry.

Hectic efforts are under way behind the curtain to get Mohanlal to promote the recently launched pro-Sangh Parivar Janam TV. Mohanlal’s close buddy and veteran film director Priyadarshan is all set to play a key role in Janam TV.

Now, the grapewine has it that two other Mollywood actors — Ganesh Kumar and Lalu Alex — are joining the BJP. By taking them on board, the BJP is hoping to replicate in Kerala its experience in Tamil Nadu where the party recently managed to bring in filmy personalities like Napolean, Gayathri Raghuram and Gangai Amaran.

With so many glamorous film actors and actresses around, politics in Kerala promises to be all the more action-packed and entertaining.

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