Poll campaign gets fierce, political parties rope in filmstars

Muzaffar Ali wrestled with the idea of getting into the ringFilm stars and politicians have one attribute in common: they are both dream pedlars. One group promises to achieve the impossible on the screen and at least pretends to do so. The other group doesn't bother with pretences.Many moons ago, it was only the odd cine artiste who trickled into public life. This year, there has been a deluge. The most dramatic script was written in Uttar Pradesh. It climaxed when Muzaffar Ali said yes - or didn't; but that's getting ahead of the story. Mulayam Singh Yadav's search for a candidate against A.B. Vajpayee in Lucknow had taken him across half the film industry. He first asked Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. Next came the courtship of Dilip Kumar, Yusuf Khan in real life and Mulayam's trump card for Muslims and women above 60. Kumar smiled but did not agree.Dara Singh wrestled with the idea of getting into the ringResilient Mulayam was soon at Shabana Azmi's door, telling her how much he admired her father, Kaifi Azmi, and his poetry. It didn't work. Finally, the exasperated Mulayam announced the candidature of Ali,Umrao Jaan'sdirector, pricey fashion designer and well-known cultural celebrity.Ali flew off the handle. The nomination was news to him, he said before giving in: "It's is a tough fight but somebody has to bell the cat." In Haryana, there was another. Old lion Dara Singh was wooed by older lion Devi Lal who wanted to pit the former wrestler-cum-actor against Bhajan Lal in Karnal. .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Dara only agreed to campaign for Devi Lal's latest party: Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya). At a rally in Rohtak, Dara proclaimed: "Chaudhary sahib (Devi Lal) is my Ram and I'm his Hanuman." Gautami signed up readilyOld timers may recall this was the precise self-confessed personal equation between Charan Singh and Raj Narain. While Devi Lal has always seen himself as the greatest Jat since Charan Singh, the question every fan wants to ask but doesn't dare is: would Dara like to be called the new Raj Narain?While Dara confronts his existential crisis, the BJP seems even more smug and greatly more attractive. On January 21, comely Gautami joined the party - and veteran leaders jostled like schoolboys to be photographed with her. Vinod Khanna signed up readilyGautami has acted in 95 Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. This should make her quite at home in a BJP which is rapidly learning to speak a variety of languages.The day after Gautami's arrival there was a still larger crowd outside the BJP's headquarters in Delhi. It was Vinod Khanna's turn to sign up. What's more, he was asked to contest from Gurdaspur, Punjab. After all those bad guys on screen, Khanna's latest rival will be the Congress' Sukhbans Kaur; and no, his next film will not be titled Meri Party, Mera Desh.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 2, 1998--- ENDS ---

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Poll campaign gets fierce, political parties rope in filmstars

Film stars and politicians have one attribute in common: they are both dream pedlars. One group promises to achieve the impossible on the screen and at least pretends to do so.

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