In Karnataka, box office success is no easy ticket to political office

While some actors restricted themselves to campaigning, others have attempted electoral politics

Sandalwood actor Sudeep’s political endorsement of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the upcoming Assembly elections has generated much buzz. Sudeep joins a long line of Sandalwood stars who have donned the political hat.

In the 2019 parliamentary elections, Yash and Darshan campaigned for Sumalatha Ambareesh who went on to win from Mandya. While some have restricted themselves to campaigning, others have attempted electoral politics. Only a few have sustained active politics.

Late actor B Jayamma, followed by veteran actress Arathi were among the first to be nominated as MLCs. Actor Anant Nag entered electoral politics by contesting the 1983 Lok Sabha polls from Uttara Kannada, but lost.

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Perhaps, senior actor Chandrashekar (‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru) who now heads the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) campaign and outreach Committee in Karnataka, was the first to taste electoral success. Chandru contested as a Janata Party candidate and won the 1985 Assembly elections from Gauribidanur during the Ramakrishna Hegde regime.

Meanwhile, Anant Nag, won from Malleswaram Assembly constituency in 1994 and served as a Minister in the J H Patel cabinet.

Rebel star Ambareesh is a rare instance with multiple electoral victories. He won the Parliamentary elections from Mandya thrice beginning from 1998, served as the Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, was the deputy president of KPCC in 2012 and the Housing Minister in Siddaramaiah’s cabinet after winning the 2013 Assembly election from Mandya. However, he resigned in between, owing to differences with the party.

Comedian Jaggesh has seen some success recently with the BJP picking him as its Rajya Sabha candidate. He was earlier a Congress MLA from Turuvekere, BJP MLC and vice-chairman of KSRTC. Agriculture minister and Hirekerur legislator B C Patil, former tourism minister and MLC C P Yogeeshwar are two other Sandalwood actors to have made a political mark.

However, not all have seen success. Veteran actor Jayanthi contested elections thrice and lost, eventually staying away from politics. Dwarakish lost from Hunsur in 2004. Upendra is yet to make an impact with his Uttama Prajakeeya Party.

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“Unlike in Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh, there was no political wave created due to stardom in Karnataka as the public clearly distinguished between politics and films. If any film personality has seen political success, it is both due to the political party’s power and the individual capability,” points out ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru. In the 2004 elections, both ‘Mukhyamantri’ Chandru (BJP) and Anant Nag (JD-S) lost against S M Krishna from Chamarajpet. Krishna had changed his constituency from Maddur to Chamarajpet in that election.

Former journalist and film analyst Muralidhar Khajane explained that in the recent past, film stars have joined more out of opportunism than for ideological reasons. Of late, political parties are also using film stars to balance the caste equation, he said, giving the BJP’s instance with Sudeep.

“The party is trying to woo the Nayaka votes in the wake of reservation demands,” he said. Ambareesh is another instance where political parties have tried to cash in on the Vokkaliga vote bank, he added.

Significantly, for a state with few women in politics, many actresses have done well in politics: Umashree (who won the 2013 elections from Terdal and served as the Kannada and Culture Minister), Ramya (who won the 2013 Lok Sabha elections from Mandya), Sumalatha Ambareesh (who won the 2018 Lok Sabha elections from Mandya) and actress Jayamala, who served as an MLC and went on to become a minister.

Personal charisma is one small part of it while dedication plays a huge role, Jayamala told DH.

“Once you enter politics with your charisma, it is hard work and commitment that matters. You can sustain only if you understand the depth of politics,” she said.