Will our stars use their power?
Friday, April 10th, 2009 at 10:43 am
While Bollywood, including its young brigade, has been vociferously advocating change through the upcoming elections, Sandalwood doesn’t seem tohave warmed up to the idea.
In spite of commanding mass popularity, we haven’t seen our stars utilising their star power to sensitise people about the importance of casting their vote and inspiring change.
“It’s probably got something to do with two reasons. One is because a huge matinee idol like the late Dr Rajkumar stayed away from politics. He felt that social change can also be motivated through socially responsible films
. And many in the industry and his fans share a similar sentiment,” says film-maker Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar.
“The other reason is that senior actors like Ambarish and Shashi Kumar, who did enter politics, haven’t done much for the people and have treated politics as a retirement scheme. After having gained popularity in films, they have used the same to enter politics,” explains Nagathi. And people are also stuck between these two extreme beliefs, and need to get out of it, observes Nagathihalli.
Actress Aindrita Ray points out that nobody’s taking up the initiative for Sandalwood to actively participate in the electoral activities. “If we all have to come together and launch a movement, somebody has to take up the responsibility to do so, right?” asks Aindrita. On a personal level though, she has been talking about the importance of voting to her friends, she says.
Challenging Star Darshan says he never thought of launching a movement on his own, “but if someone asked me to do so and interact with the public, I’ll definitely pitch in,” he says.
“I don’t think the young stars here are taken as seriously as someone from Bollywood or Kollywood — they command a much bigger fan following than us,” reasons actor Kiran Srinivas. “If I were to go out and ask people to vote, how many of them would actually listen to me? But then, some of our icons who’re very popular can make a difference,” says Kiran. And he thinks it shouldn’t just be limited to the film industry. “Even business tycoons and sportspersons can initiate such a movement,” he suggests.
Gaalipata hudugi Bhavana Rao feels that despite facing limitations, the youth in the industry has to advocate political awareness. “We have star power and when society has given us so much, why not do something good in return?” she asks.
“So, rather than waiting for someone to approach us, we should all initiate something at an individual level. I’ve campaigned earlier. Whenever Prem and I go to Mandya, we educate the villagers on the importance of voting and how not to be wooed by money or sarees,” adds Rakshita. And we don’t need a platform to spread the message,” she says, adding, “Even if we can influence 50 people around us, that can make a difference.”
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