HYDERABAD: Election campaigns are not just about high-decibel sounds and passionate speeches by leaders, but they are also about star power — which actor is campaigning for whom. In fact, in Telugu states, political parties would make a list of star campaigners before they even draw up the schedule. However, this election seems to be different.
Star campaigners are clearly missing in action in the election campaign in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state. Strangely enough, top Tollywood stars have been conspicuous by their absence in the campaign trail.
In the previous elections, it was not uncommon to see big names from the Telugu film industry like megastar Chiranjeevi, power star Pawan Kalyan, and Jr NTR campaign for political parties. Stars would not only draw humongous crowds, but were also capable of making or breaking the fortunes of political parties, not to mention a sense of excitement among fans.
However, the same is not the case this time around. For reasons best known to them, Tollywood biggies have stayed away. The absence of star campaigners clearly affected the political campaigns. Political parties are certainly finding it hard to mobilise support and draw decent crowds, which comes organically if a star were to be there.
The changing political landscape is likely to be the reason behind stars keeping a safe distance from the campaigns. Stars may be exercising caution on siding with a particular party given the changing dynamics of political alliances.
Another reason could be the scrutiny of political funding (electoral bonds) which recently caused quite a flutter in political circles.
While political parties are definitely missing the stars in action, deepfake videos are making the rounds on social media, which is a cause for concern. A video of Allu Arjun seemingly campaigning for the Congress went viral.
However, memes appear to be filling in the void that was created in the election campaign. Political memes are being created featuring actors with zero interest in politics. With Tollywood comedy King Brahmanandam leading the way, there are memes featuring famous scenes from movies of star heroes like Venkatesh and Ravi Teja among others.
As the campaign heads towards a climax, it remains to be seen if there would be any last-minute appearances by stars.
