Politicians are conscious of the fact that they no longer are held in public esteem as they used to be earlier. People will not attend any political rally unless it holds the promise of some free entertainment.

The last elections saw a beeline of celebrities campaigning for different political parties. Film personalities like Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Amisha Patel, Sunil Shetty, Dara Singh, Satish Kaushik, Deepti Bhatnagar, Yukta Mookhey (BJP); actors like Jitendra, Rajesh Khanna and Sunil Dutt (Congress); TV stars like Aman Verma (game show Khul Ja Sim Sim fame), Smriti Z Irani’s (bahu of Kyunki… Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame), Sudha Shivpuri "Baa'' (the good old grandmother from the serial Saas Bhi Kabhie Bahu Thi) for the BJP; cricketers like K. Srikanth (BJP) and even some duplicates of film stars and cricketers have campaigned heavily.

The history of film stars joining politics is very old. In Tamil Nadu, cinema and theatre were part of the ideology of the Dravidian movement. M.G. Ramachandran was a child of this movement and was able to switch roles effectively. So did M Karunanidhi who wielded his pen like a master. The Tamil screen also threw up Jayalalithaa who projected herself as MGR’s heir.

In the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, N.T. Rama Rao, who projected himself as Rama, Krishna, Viswamitra et al, swept the polls and came to power in just eight months after he started the Telugu Desam on the issue of hurt Telugu pride.

A number of film stars, particularly from the Hindi screen, have been active or elected to Parliament. Film personalities like Sunil Dutt, Nargis, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Vyajyanthimala, Jaya Prada, Raj Babbar, Shabana Azmi, Shatrugan Sinha, Vinod Khanna, Jitendra, Hema Malini, Dara Singh, Dipika (Sita of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayana), Mukhesh Khanna (Shaktiman fame ), Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Poonam Dhillan, Zeenat Aman, Rati Agnihotri have played active roles both within and outside Parliament.

The strategy of bringing some glamour to the otherwise dull electoral meetings to attract the audience seems to be perfected by our modern day poll-managers. The overwhelming success of the BJP in the recent Assembly elections owes a lot to its master planners like Pramod Mahajan and Arun Jaitley and their innovative methods of media management and endorsing celebrities for the campaigns among others. Now one question struck The DayAfter – why celebrities for campaigning? Have the politicians lost their crowd-pulling ability, over the years? Do the politicians lack the moral courage to face the voters after years of deception? Why is there a beeline of Bollywood stars in the campaign fray?

Politicians no longer attract big crowds and certainly not at the election time. A film star’s presence on the stage helps a lot. Politicians want to gain from the reflected limelight. The people are increasingly getting fed up with their antics; and sometimes angry at their lack of public concern. The politicians as a class have serious image problem, which they try to tackle by co-opting film stars. There were times when people left jobs and vocations and chose going to jail so that the country could win freedom from foreign rule. Their idealism and sacrifice were enough to win hearts and minds of the people. What those leaders said was believed; what they promised was trusted. Not any longer.

Since people in public life have ceased to be icons who attracted audiences or votes, the devalued politicians seek the help of others who have become icons in the public eye. Yesterday’s film heroes and heroines are the easier targets for this search.

But, what stars get in return? "Star power comes with a price tag. The payment for a top star for a single appearance ranges from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 8 lakh. For television artists, this price tag depends on the popularity of the serial as well as the star and is anywhere between Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh,'' remarked an agent, who is instrumental in organising stars for the BJP. Apart from the advance payment, the stars demand air tickets and also a five-star accommodation along with a luxury car if made to stay overnight. But if you ask any party or contesting candidate, the common refrain is: "He or she is a family friend and is doing it for a cause.''

The big stars, who contribute substantially in the win, are promised of Rajya Sabha tickets and even ministerial berths. It is a win-win situation for both for the celebrities and politicians. There are enough examples of movie stars campaigning for the party and getting an entry to the Rajya Sabha. Hema Malini and Dara Singh were nominated to the Rajya Sabha with an eye to the Assembly elections in 2003. Immediately after taking oath, Hema Malini declared, "I shall do all the work for the BJP….. I am here only because of them." As promised they (Hema and Dara Singh) campaigned for the BJP and the rest is history. Now-a-days many film stars (present and old) lobbying for tickets for the RS.

The claim of ‘ideology’ as the excuse to campaign for a political party is being proved hollow day by day. Vyjayanthimala Bali, after an undistinguished stint as the Congress MP, was denied a party ticket for the Lok Sabha. Miffed, she immediately joined the BJP. No question of ideology is here except self-interest. After the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) denied Jaya Prada re-nomination to the Rajya Sabha, the actress has reportedly been courting every party, including the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

The Upper House was visualised for those who are exceptionally talented in their respective fields and are of great help to the nation but can’t make it to Parliament because of the constraints in electoral politics.

Hence it is always held in high esteem. It boasts of some of the greatest brains of India contributing constructively in the discussions in the House and help framing the rules and regulations with greatest care and foresight.

Serious political thinkers, philosophers, planners, educationists, lawyers, technocrats like Piloo Mody, B.R. Ambedkar, Violet Alva etc. have adorned it, who had enough knowledge in national politics and social engineering. The House provided enough knowledge and guidance in times of need. It also applied much needed brakes in matters of paramount importance by returning the Bills to Lok Sabha.

But the time has changed, and now-a-days the Upper House is full of film stars and businessmen or persons who have been ‘rehabilitated’ by the political parties. With the invasion of film stars in the House who come through the short-cut route, the quality participation in discussions suffers a serious setback. Most of the members do not attend the sessions regularly. Whenever they attend they end up their role being passive listeners.

Though there are certain exceptions in Shabana Azmis, Sunil Datts and the present R. Sharath Kumars they are very few and far in between.

Veteran director Mahesh Bhatt feels that the stars should concentrate on public welfare issues and not make politics a source of power and can achieve more by way of social causes, by remaining outside active politics.

The RJD president, Laloo Prasad Yadav, said in a one-to-one interview to The DayAfer, "If these netas want to be abhinetas, they better go to Bollywood themselves and leave the serious business of politics to serious and dedicated politicians."

Very few film stars/celebrities have been successful in politics because of their ignorance of the ground realities and subtleties of the princely art called politics. The results — neglected constituency, sub-standard/no participation in the House and inefficient governance, which ultimately defeats the very purpose democracy.