Though tipped for chief ministership, more so if the Congress fails to make it past the post on its own strength, Ambareesh says a ponderous 'No' when posed the question if he aspired to become the next CM of Karnataka.

Nudged further and asked if post-election circumstances necessitated a Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) tie-up and he emerges the consensus candidate for chief ministership, he falls silent, neither conveying assent or dissent.
But the three-time Mandya MP, who is still the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting despite him tendering resignation over the Cauvery water dispute, had no convincing reply when asked about his impending contest from Srirangapattana to make his debut in the Karnataka Assembly.

“I knew my resignation is not going to resolve the Cauvery water sharing dispute with Tamil Nadu. I did it on an impulse as the entire Kannada film industry because of which I am Ambareesh the Star today, and entire Mandya district because of which I am an MP today, was on protest," he said, recalling how even a handicapped child from his native Doddarasinakere village had joined the stir.

On the more recent controversy that he and co-star Vishnuvardhan kept away from the film industry protest against the Hogenakkal project to protect their own career interests in Tamil Nadu, the typecast rebel Star had a plausible explanation.

"Vishnu's and my family, after a gap of ten years, were holidaying in Kodagu for three days and on the fourth day I had a shooting schedule in Mangalore, which I had committed and even accepted payment months ago. That was the day the protest took place and there was no way I could fit in Bangalore in my Madikeri-Mangalore itinerary. Besides, when Vishnu and Bharathi's farmhouse near Ooty was vandalised by Tamil activists, I called TN CM Karunanidhi's son and he immediately ordered police protection. There are so many successful Kannadiga businessmen and others living in Coimbatore and such as TN cities. Who will protect them if we adopt a confrontationist path. Is conciliation not a better option?" he counters.

Veered back to the question of becoming CM, he quips: "Let's first bring the Congress to power."