Entertainment
B-Town: Stars are a good bet for elections
Mumbai, March 31 (IANS) It is election time and in this season political parties develop an extra interest in film stars. On their part, stars reciprocate. The choice is not automatic and there are factors that qualify them as probables.
Films and politics have been poles apart and the use politicians had for film stars was to present them at political rallies in order to attract crowds. While mainstream parties were yet to familiarise themselves with this process of using film stars for campaigning, it mostly happened at the local level.
In Mumbai, some party candidates were bound to know an actor or somebody who did. Politicians in other cities used cash, contacts or favours.
In the old days in Uttar Pradesh, for instance, a star was repaid by exempting his films from entertainment tax. Taxes then were not standardised as they are today. The entertainment tax, being a state subject, varied from state to state and ate up a big chunk of a cinema ticket.
In national politics, the involvement of stars or other film personalities started with nominating them to the Rajya Sabha. This meant recognising a star’s contributions to a specific field. The people at large and the media usually endorsed such appointments, for the nominated star commanded their respect.
The first such star to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha was the late Prithviraj Kapoor in 1952. His third generation is still active in the film industry, though none seems to show an inclination towards politics. The next one to be so nominated was Nargis Dutt. Dara Singh also made it to the Rajya Sabha. People welcomed such nominations.
Today, quite a few film personalities adorn the Upper House. Nominations to the Rajya Sabha have always been an honour, but these nominated stars hardly served any purpose for the parties nominating them or for the film industry. They basked in the glory of being in the Rajya Sabha.
Most were not interested and rarely attended the sessions. The industry was held to ransom in those days by just about every government body that the film industry dealt with. Be it Central Excise, Censor Board, or Income Tax. There was red tape in all these departments.
For example, a film’s release print had to pay excise duty according to the length of the film and most of the films in those days exceeded 16,000 feet! When you exported a release print of your film abroad to the distributor there, a censor certificate was not required because all countries you exported your film to had their own censorship bodies. The catch here was that the customs department would only accept the length as certified in the censor certificate!
And no star Member of Parliament raised his or her voice against this anomaly. They remained decorative pieces.
As elections started getting tougher and the opposition parties became more prominent, politicians thought of a better way to use film celebrities — make them contest Lok Sabha elections instead of using them as crowd pullers in election rallies.
So we had Sunil Dutt contesting from Mumbai. Dutt was an apt choice and he won the election from Mumbai North West and stayed in office for 12 years. Thereafter, it was all about star power for that is what worked. So, we had Amitabh Bachchan contesting from his ancestral town, Allahabad, and then, Rajesh Khanna from New Delhi.
It became obvious that these stars did not have staying power and, as their popularity waned, they failed to repeat their success. Rajesh Khanna was the prime example. Also, by this time, the voters were becoming more aware of whom to choose. A transition was taking place.
Meanwhile, as against national politics, South India was different. Film stars did not contest for a party; they formed their own political parties. Here, film stars, in people’s eyes, are not only only to God. Fan clubs built temples for their stars! Tamil Nadu was the early starter where film personalities took to politics.
When M. Karunanidhi took over as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) as its president, the party treasurer was M.G. Ramachandran. Karunanidhi was a celebrated writer and MGR a superstar. MGR soon parted ways with Karunanidhi and formed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
In Andhra Pradesh, it was N.T. Rama Rao, a Telugu superstar, who formed the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), and in Karnataka, Kannada superstar Rajkumar did not fight elections, but his word carried more weight than that of the state government. He could bring the state to a standstill as he did when he decreed that Kannada should be the only official language in Karnataka.
Eventually, national and state politicians realised that instead of using film stars to attend political rallies to pull in crowds, why not let them contest elections, they reasoned.
Sunil Dutt carried the image of a nationalist and a family man. But the power of star power was evident when Amitabh Bachchan was nominated to contest from Allahabad (Prayagraj) against a very strong leader, H.N. Bahuguna. Bachchan won by a massive number of votes, reportedly over 1.85 lakh.
This way, film stars were considered sure-shot bets in elections. Since then, a galaxy of stars have been active in politics: Raj Babbar, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Bachchan, Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Govinda, Hema Malini, Kirron Kher, Urmila Matondkar, Gul Panag, Jaya Prada, Paresh Rawal, and so on. Some have stayed back, others got fed up soon enough, realising that politics was not meant for them.
The strike rate is good as rarely any star loses elections unless they are contesting from the wrong place at the wrong time and for the wrong party. Urmila Matondkar and Gul Panag are prime examples.
In most cases, film stars have felt out of place in politics and have eventually deserted their positions. They have never made a name as an MP or raised issues that concern the people or their industry (although Jaya Bachchan is an exception) — most have a poor attendance record.
Amitabh Bachchan resigned without completing his term. Rajesh Khanna did not want to contest again. Dharmendra’s contribution to his constituency as well as to his party was nil and the same was the case with Vinod Khanna, Paresh Rawal, Sunny Deol, and Govinda, who as a Congress candidate had defeated a major BJP leader, Ram Naik.
Govinda has now joined the Shiv Sena in the hope of contesting from Mumbai North West. If he now wants to be back in electoral politics, it is because a number of actors attempt to find an alternative to keep themselves occupied when their film career is over. After all, they are so used to staying in the limelight.
That brings one to a couple of prominent names from the fraternity nominated to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Kangana Ranaut is slated to contest from her native town, Mandi in Himachal Pradesh; Arun Govil has also been fielded from his hometown Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.
Both stand a good chance. Arun Govil is known for his portrayal of Lord Ram in the television serial ‘Ramayana’. And Lord Rama cannot lose in Uttar Pradesh today.
As for Kangana Ranaut, Supriya Shrinate’s derogatory social media post against her and her constituency, Mandi, has given her a huge advantage.
–IANS
vinod/srb
Allu Arjun is poised to dominate the box office with his highly anticipated film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, set to release on December 6, 2024. The excitement surrounding this film is phenomenal, already making headlines with an impressive pre-release collection of RS 1,085 crores! This achievement is particularly notable, given that it reached this milestone well before the movie even debuts in theaters.
Fans are eagerly looking forward to Allu Arjun’s return as Pushparaj, the character that earned him a National Award for Best Actor in the first installment, Pushpa: The Rise. The buzz surrounding Pushpa 2 is unparalleled, and the film is expected to break even more records upon its release. The pre-release collection includes a record-setting deal for theatrical rights, sold for ₹640 crores, making it one of the most lucrative film deals in Indian cinema.
Additionally, Pushpa 2 has secured a significant digital distribution agreement with Netflix, which acquired the rights for ₹275 crores, highlighting the high demand for the film. The overall pre-release earnings have been impressive across various regions, with ₹220 crores collected in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, ₹200 crores in the North, ₹50 crores in Tamil Nadu, ₹30 crores in Karnataka, ₹20 crores in Kerala, and ₹40 crores from overseas markets. The music rights were sold for ₹65 crores, while the satellite rights fetched ₹85 crores, contributing a total of ₹425 crores from non-theatrical rights.
Directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, Pushpa 2: The Rule features a talented cast, including Rashmika Mandanna and Fahadh Faasil alongside Allu Arjun. The film’s music will be released by T Series, further adding to the anticipation.
With Allu Arjun’s National Award win and the remarkable pre-release collections, it’s clear that Pushpa 2 is set to be a blockbuster. As the release date approaches, fans are excited to see how this film will perform at the box office. If the pre-release collections are any indication, Pushpa 2 is bound to shatter records and become a massive success!
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Anu Aggarwal, who rose to fame with “Aashiqui”, and “King Uncle”, recalled the time when filmmakers would come to her with money for signing a film and would not have a script ready.
In a conversation with Lehren shared on Instagram, the actress could be seen talking about it.
“I was shocked to see that people who don’t have their scripts are not ready when they would come to sign me up for a film. They would have the money ready and I would say I don’t want to sign with the money. I would like to hear the script.”
“They would say the script will be made so you can sign,” she added.
“This was the way and because I am an actor I would like to see what my role, story is. Everything is important. Nobody would have a script… 98 per cent of people would not have the script,” she said.
Anu Aggarwal gained immense popularity in the 1990s after featuring in the musical romantic drama “Aashiqui” directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
She starred alongside Rahul Roy and Deepak Tijori.
The film was known for its music, by composer duo Nadeem–Shravan establishing their careers.
The soundtrack album has been rated fourth by Planet Bollywood on their “100 Greatest Bollywood Soundtracks”.
It was the best-selling Bollywood album at the time of its release.
The film was remade in Kannada as “Roja” in 2002.
A sequel to the film, “Aashiqui 2”, with a completely new theme, directed by Mohit Suri, with Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was released in 2013.
–IANS
dc/khz
Entertainment
Ram Charan's daughter Klin achieves this milestone on grandfather Chiranjeevi's birthday
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) On the 69th birthday of actor and politician Chiranjeevi, his son Ram Charan has shared a peek into their family vacation to Paris, France, which is also the first trip of his daughter Klin Kaara with her grandparents.
Ram took to his Instagram account, where he has 23.9 million followers, and shared a family picture from Paris.
The snap shows his parents– father Chiranjeevi, mother Surekha, his wife Upasana Kamineni, and their furry friend–pet dog. We can see Chiranjeevi holding his granddaughter Klin adorably in his arms.
Ram looked dapper in a black shirt, matching trousers and an olive green jacket.
They are posing against the backdrop of Eiffel Tower.
The post is captioned as: “Klin Kaara’s first trip with her grandparents!!! Memorable”.
In another post, Ram dropped a photograph with his father, wearing matching South Indian ethnic outfits.
He wrote in caption: “Happpiest birthday, Appa!!”
Meanwhile, on the occasion of Chiranjeevi’s birthday, UV Creations and director Vashistaa Mallidi have unveiled the highly anticipated first look poster for ‘Vishwambhara’, a fantasy adventure film.
Sharing the poster on social media, the makers wrote: “When darkness and evil take over the world, a Magnanimous Star shall shine bright to fight, Happy birthday, MEGASTAR @KChiruTweets, Let the world witness your aura with #Vishwambhara, Get ready for a MEGA MASS BEYOND UNIVERSE, In cinemas from January 10th, 2025.”
The movie promises to be a cinematic spectacle, featuring Chiranjeevi in a lead role. The film also stars Trisha Krishnan, Ashika Ranganath and Kunal Kapoor.
The film will be released on January 10, 2025.
Chiranjeevi was last seen in Telugu action drama ‘Bhola Shankar’ directed by Meher Ramesh. It also featured Tamannaah Bhatia, Keerthy Suresh and Sushanth.
Meanwhile, Ram Charan last appeared in action drama ‘Acharya’, directed by Koratala Siva. The film starred Chiranjeevi, alongside Pooja Hegde, Sonu Sood and Jisshu Sengupta.
He next has ‘Game Changer’, and ‘RC16’ in the pipeline.
–IANS
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Entertainment
Rani Mukerji: Shivani Shivaji Roy shows how a woman can lead from front in a male-dominated field
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Actress Rani Mukerji has talked about why she loves her character Shivani Shivaji Roy from “Mardaani,” which has completed 10 years in Hindi cinema on Thursday.
She said: “Shivani Shivaji Roy is my most favourite on-screen character. She is a defiant, fierce force of nature who will stand up for what is right no matter what. She is someone who subverts gender norms in cinema and shows how a woman can also lead from the front in a male-dominated field.”
As the film celebrates its 10th anniversary, Rani is grateful for all the love and acclaim that she has received.
She said: “I’m truly proud of my ‘Mardaani’ franchise. It is a franchise that keeps on giving. The love, adulation, and the respect that I have received from Mardaani is truly humbling.”
On Thursday morning, the makers of the film teased fans about the next chapter of the franchise.
Production Yash Raj Films banner took to YouTube, where they dropped a teaser of sorts, which begins from the first installment, which first released in 2014.
The production company captioned it: “10 years of #Mardaani and the next chapter awaits… Celebrating the feisty, daredevil cop #ShivaniShivajiRoy and the spirit of #Mardaani today. Thank you for a decade of love and appreciation for our beloved franchise. We are inspired… again… thanks to you. #RaniMukerji #10YearsOfMardaani.”
Rani is too excited to reprise the role and don the cop uniform once again.
She said: “I’m looking forward to bringing back Shivani Shivaji Roy on the big screen soon. It’s been a while since I have donned the cop uniform and paid tribute to the women police force of our country.”
“Each (woman cop) one of them relentlessly works hard to keep our families safe and I have always loved to salute these fearless women. Shivani will be back and I hope you will give as much love to her as you have always showered for 10 years now!” added the actress.
–IANS
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Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress and fashionista Sonam Kapoor brought out her A-game in fashion, where she flaunted “minimal, bold and effortlessly on point” look.
The actress took to Instagram, where she shared a string of pictures. In the pictures, she is seen wearing a powder pink shirt, paired with a blazer and long skirt. She completed her look with sunglasses.
“Celebrating @perniaq season 2 podcast drop with that sleek @phoebephilo energy—minimal, bold, and effortlessly on point. Shoutout to the squad for keeping the vibe,” she wrote and also mentioned that she is styled by her sister Rhea Kapoor.
Recently, Sonam shared several glimpses from her son Vayu’s vintage car themed cake as he turned two on August 20.
Sonam took to Instagram, where she shared a reel of the two-tier toddler friendly, refined sugar free chocolate cake. It featured a vintage ice blue car atop of the cake with the number 2 written on it.
The actress had also penned a heart-felt note for her son Vayu.
“My baby turns two today!!! Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet, precious Vayu! W Being your mom is the greatest gift I could ever receive. You’ve filled our lives with so much joy, laughter, and wonder,” Sonam said.
The actress shared that with her son, everyday is an adventure filled with “your boundless curiosity, your infectious laughter, and your sweet, loving nature.”
“You’ve brought so much light and happiness into our world, making every moment more beautiful and every relationship stronger. You’ve deepened the love between your dadaa and me in ways we never imagined, and you’ve brought pure, unfiltered joy to everyone who loves you-your nani and nana, dadi and baba, kaaa masa, Masi and chachu,” she said.
“Your sweet spirit and playful energy make our family complete, and we are so blessed to have you in our lives.”
She tagged Vayu as her sunshine, music, little genius, and their endless “source of happiness”.
“We love you more than words can say, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you will continue to bring into our lives,” Sonam said.
–IANS
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