When movie stars get out of their shining cars, a crowd gathers to greet them. Someone wants a selfie. So someone is pleased with a handshake. In politics, however, mere brilliance is ineffective; work speaks for itself. There are numerous instances in which film stars have burned their hands in the heat of politics. Smita Srivastava wrote an article about such stars…
Smita Srivastava, Mumbai. Following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1984, Bollywood’s Shahenshah Amitabh Bachchan stood by his friend Rajiv Gandhi as a true companion in times of trouble. Following the announcement of the general elections that year, Arun Nehru proposed that Amitabh Bachchan run from Allahabad (now Prayagraj) against the experienced politician Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna.
This ‘Zanjeer’ actor had chosen to support his friend. Amitabh’s mother Teji and wife Jaya were pleased that he was running for office, but his father Harivanshrai Bachchan was concerned. He worried that his son would make a mistake. His fears turned out to be unfounded. After a landslide victory in the elections, Amitabh became both an actor and a leader. Many of his films, including ‘Mard’, were successful at the time, but he was shifting away from politics.
Amitabh left politics for this reason
Amitabh, like Rajiv Gandhi, was tainted by the Bofors scam allegations. Amitabh could not bear the pressure and retired from politics. Then he did not hand over to any party. Aside from him, many artists tried their luck in politics but were unable to shine like in cinema and abandoned politics.
Did not like the arena of politics
Rajesh Khanna, Bollywood’s first superstar, ran for Congress in the 1991 Lok Sabha elections against BJP veteran LK Advani. The ‘Anand’ actor suffered in this. Advani had previously run for election in Gandhi Nagar. In such a case, he had vacated the New Delhi seat. Rajesh received a second chance in the by-election. His fame grew, and he was elected to the House of Commons.
Shatrughan Sinha, a BJP candidate, faced him in the by-election. After losing to BJP candidate Jagmohan in 1996, Rajesh remained a popular Congress campaigner, but he was not appointed to any party positions. As a result, he distanced himself from politics.
Dharmendra, the hero of Hindi cinema who defeated the villains on screen, won the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 on a BJP ticket from Bikaner, Rajasthan. However, he disliked politics. He did not run in subsequent elections. In 2019, his son Sunny Deol was elected to the Punjab Lok Sabha from Gurdaspur on a BJP ticket. This time, he has not received the ticket.
Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea
Sanjay Dutt, like his father Sunil Dutt and sister Priya Dutt, made his political debut as a member of the Samajwadi Party from the Lucknow seat, rather than the Congress. Despite filing a nomination for the Lok Sabha elections in 2009, the Supreme Court denied him permission due to pending cases against him. According to the rules, people who commit serious crimes are not eligible to run for office. Sanjay could not run in the elections. Following this, he became the party’s General Secretary, but he left politics in 2010.
Politics also drew Govinda, who was famous for his dance moves and comedy in films. Govinda served in Lok Sabha from 2004 to 2009 after joining the Congress. However, in 2008, he realized that politics were not his cup of tea. As a result, when his term ended, he said goodbye to politics by declining to run in the next election. After 14 years in exile, he has returned to Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena party.
