The saffron party is impressed with Allu Arjun.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: Amid the political turmoil in Telangana that began with the arrest of Pushpa 2 actor Allu Arjun, it has become evident that the BJP, keen to establish a foothold in state politics, is actively courting Tollywood to leverage star power.
The party is particularly interested in Allu Arjun, who has gained nationwide fame through his "Pushpa" film franchise.
Pushpa 2 performed exceptionally well in the Hindi-speaking regions, especially in Bihar. Due to Pushpa 1's box office success the film's producers even held a pre-release event of Pushpa 2 in Patna, the capital of Bihar, which attracted a large number of fans eager to see the star.
The BJP has already experienced success with star power in Andhra Pradesh, aligning with Jana Sena chief and popular actor Pawan Kalyan. The BJP formed a coalition with Jana Sena and the TDP for the 2024 elections and is now part of the TDP-led NDA government in Andhra Pradesh. Additionally, efforts are underway to position Pawan Kalyan as a "Hindutva mascot" in South India.
He had a successful run during the recent Maharashtra Assembly elections, campaigning for candidates from the BJP-led Maha Yuti coalition and receiving a warm reception. While many actors may hesitate to openly align with political parties, the BJP aims to capitalise on the charisma of these stars during elections.
The party has made substantial efforts to penetrate Telangana's political landscape, experiencing significant gains in both last year's assembly elections and this year's Lok Sabha contest. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar's recent comments regarding Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in the context of Allu Arjun's arrest suggest that the BJP is trying to win over Tollywood.
Tensions have been brewing ever since the Revanth Reddy government demolished property owned by Tollywood biggie Akkineni Nagarjuna for alleged violations. Congress Minister Konda Surekha's remarks against Nagarjuna's family have further strained relations with the film industry, which feels like a soft target for the Congress government.
Bandi Sanjay, following Revanth Reddy's remarks in the Assembly, claimed that the Congress government has been targeting the film industry. I
n a statement, Bandi Sanjay stated, “Everyone has condemned the stampede in which a woman died. Everyone wants Sri Tej to recover, and many have come out in support of the family. However, it is shameful to create another problem by allowing an AIMIM member to raise this issue in the Assembly. The Congress government, with the connivance of AIMIM, is conspiring to destroy the film industry by using the Assembly as a platform.”
Sanjay also visited the corporate hospital where Sri Tej, who was injured in the Sandhya Theatre stampede, was being treated and met with his family members, assuring them of all possible assistance.
Interestingly, BJP leaders were the first to respond to the vandalism at Allu Arjun's residence in Jubilee Hills. “It’s natural for any political party to seize such an opportunity. Interestingly, there has been a race between BRS and BJP to win over Tollywood after these incidents. At this stage, it appears that BJP has gained an edge over BRS,” noted a political analyst while speaking to DH.