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Ticket to Pollywood Why mass entertainment is a perfect training ground for a career in politics Mayank Shekhar
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n an interview to Suparna Sharma of The Asian Age rerelease also reflects the spirit of the times; 1950s commercial cently, Gujarati actor Paresh Rawal said what India really successes like Awaara, Do Bigha Zameen and Mother India needs is a dictator. He prefixed the dreaded D-word with could simultaneously compete at Cannes or the Oscars. ‘benevolent’—I suppose, to mean a ‘great dictator’ rathThree of the four biggest hits of this election year thus far er than a bad one. He also referred fondly to the Emergency are Ragini MMS 2, Main Tera Hero and Jai Ho. You can track as a time when things “worked”: trains and buses ran on a similar decline in the standard of India’s elected representime, nobody sat on files. These are Rawal’s personal opintatives, although if you compared the quality of both movions. Except that he is running for the Lok Sabha from ies and politicians today with those in the 80s and 90s, you Ahmedabad East, having replaced a seven-time BJP MP who might agree that there has been a vast improvement. This holds the seat. Rawal is also, I’m told, most likely to win. could be because of a growing middle-class and a new generIn 1993, Rawal played Sardar Patel in Ketan Mehta’s biopation of urban voters that casts votes rather than votes caste, ic. Patel (may his soul rest in peace) was a Congressman and and prefers variety over formula in films. Nehru’s deputy in India’s first cabinet; he is now a mascot Practically all political parties field entertainers in elecfor the BJP. Rawal has also impersonated Lalu Prasad Yadav tions. They always have. Only the number of such candiin a film called Dand Nayak (1993). What are his other politdates has grown. Rawal’s chief advantage over a rookie polical credentials? Plenty, if you ask me. He belongs to mainitician is that he is a popular actor. He’s used to facing huge stream Bollywood and has done exceedingly well. This tells crowds. All politicians cannot possibly think exactly the me he has tremendous political experience. same way about every word written in their party’s manifesLike democratic politics, Bollywood has no barriers to ento, yet they stick to a written script—actors do the same. try. Family names often matter. The trade naturally gravPolitics can be terribly divisive, though. Appeasing specifitates towards important mentors and camps, making ic constituents, based on caste or religion, through fear or loyalty an important precondition for rising up the ladder— favour, guarantees a certain percentage of voters. In a firstother than luck, looks, talent and other attributes, of course. past-the-post system, all you need to win is one vote more A culture of patronage would be just as strong in bureauthan your closest rival anyway. This generates typical politcracies and corporate firms. But you still have to go through ical formulae: M (Muslim) + Y (Yadav) + Other OBC (Other a common filtering process to land an entry-level execuBackward Class), etcetera. tive’s job, before you can suck your way up to lead a small Formula films are unifying that way. They aim to maxteam as a manager. The Indian electorate doesn’t value eduimise ticket-sales, preferring to alienate no one, creating cational qualifications for candidates who are meant to lead products out of trends and adhering to the status quo. This is the country. If anything, in public, politicians pretend to be one of the reasons mainstream Bollywood films have always less intelligent than they are. This is true of a lot of people in remained either politically agnostic or totally unaware, Bollywood too. It is intellectually reas have those involved in making assuring for the masses. them. This is revealed in Rawal’s odd It is unclear exactly what a poliunderstanding of democracy itself. Rawal belongs to mainstream tician does for a living while out of I’d so much prefer Bappida, the Bollywood and has done public office. ‘Netaji’ is how idle men other Bollywood candidate who’s exceedingly well. This tells in khadi uniforms are introduced to fighting from Serampore in Bengal. me he has plenty everyone in small towns and villages. The strongest political statement ‘Struggler’ is Bollywood’s equivalent. he’s ever made: “You are my chickof political Being perennially an aspirant is a full- credentials and en fry. You are my fish fry. You are time job, just as legitimate success is my masala dosa. You are my samosa.” experience achieved only through voting by the You are my man, Bappida! n public—in elections every five years Mayank Shekhar runs the popor at ticket windows every Friday. culture website TheW14.com The outcome of an election or a film’s 58 open
12 May 2014