Chennai
The screen siren who joined the AIADMK last week is the latest addition to the AIADMK campaign arsenal as the party unleashes its “star power” for the May 16 poll. Of the 40 campaigners the AIADMK has chosen, over 20 are from the tinsel town. Namitha has joined the likes of “retired” actors like Venniraadai Nirmala who made her debut in cinema along with AIADMK supremo, and news readers-turned-party podium speakers like Fathima Babu and Nirmala Periasamy. And there are the usual comedians like Senthil and Singamuthu, who have already taken the humour quotient of the campaign. Interestingly, actor Ramarajan in a recent speech asked, “The goats given by Jayalalithaa will reproduce. Will Karunanidhi’s TV?” and the audience laughed in bemusement.
Elsewhere in the DMK, which first tapped the campaign value of actors and unleashed the genie called MGR in the 1960s, the star power is abysmally low this time. After Vadivelu’s absence, only a handful of campaigners like MRR Vasu, Vikram, Poochi Murugan and TV stars like Bose Venkat are in the DMK. And the party is not discontent with it. National party BJP has a host of actors, including defectors like S Ve Shekar, Napolean, “Naatamai” Vijayakumar and most recently Power Star to add colour to its campaign.
Barring a few actors who are committed politicians, most of these actors are for hire. The going rate varies from Rs 50,000 to a few lakhs depending on the popularity of the actor. Needless to say, the price does not include their travel and accommodation.
Dravidian scholar and Katchi Pizhai editor VMS Subagunarajan says: “Most of these actors are for hire. Their speeches do not appeal to educated urban and rural voters, especially new voters. Actors will not fetch a single new vote.”
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