The stardom and aura farming

 Bihar elections are going on. All parties and people are in the contest. Many film actors are also involved in politics. Film actors are often given tickets to attend contests or are called to election meetings and rallies to attract a crowd. There are many misconceptions about their popularity, influence, and public image. As Bihar is ready for election, the actors, especially Bhojpuri folk singers and actors, face, attractive songs that pull crowd and swing votes. Both NDA and Mahagathbandhan are using actors and music to electrify their campaign.

Actor Manoj Tiwari, singer-actor Pawan Singh, former Lok Sabha MP from Azamgarh Dines Lal Yadav 'Nirahua', BJP's Gorakhpur MP and actor Ravi Kishan, and Neha Sharma are trying to add star power with crowd-pulling songs. For Mahagathbandhan Khesri Lal Yadav, while Maithili Thakur, BJP's nominee from Alinagar, joins NDA's musical campaign.

Actors have a significant fan following, mainly on social media, resulting in built-in recognition and large crowds at rallies. However, this visibility does not guarantee votes. While some voters may be influenced by their fame, many other factors shape voting decisions. The main issue is whether an actor's popularity meaningfully translates to political influence.

Actors often have mass appeal across different sections of society. Political parties use their broad recognition to appeal to diverse voters. The main question remains: does their fame truly convert to political support, or does it just attract attention to campaigns?

Some people might view actors' contributions as limited to entertainment only, some are inspired by their philanthropic work, social causes, awareness campaign impact on society, and voters. Actors often raise awareness about important issues like health, education, and environmental conservation. Actors can inspire their fans through their performance, interviews, and public appearance, promoting values like empathy, kindness, and perseverance.

But sometimes, this popularity and the crowd-pulling capability result in tragedies. In India, it has happened many a time. A few months back a huge crowd was gathered during a political campain by Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president and actor C. Joseph Vijay in Karur on September 27, resulting in a tragic stampede that led to the loss of 41 lives. Irony is that the TVK leaders fled from the scene and "abandoned" the innocent fans at the mercy of God, who had thronged the venue at Velusamypuram in Karur just to take a glimpse of Mr.Vijay. It was a manmade disaster. TVK leadership and actor Joseph Vijay had not even expressed any remorse for their fans, even after the huge tragedy of this magnitude.

In January 2017, Shah Rukh Khan and the 'Raees' production team travelled from Mumbai to Delhi by train as part of the film's promotion. At the Vadodara railway station, a huge crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor. It caused a stampede, in which many fans were injured, and one person died. However, no action was taken against Shah Rukh khan and he did't announce any help to the dead or injured fans.

There was also a tragic stampede in the promotional event in 'Sandhya Theatre of a film "Pushpa-2: The Rule" of Telugu superstar Allu Arjun.  It claimed the life of 35-year-old Revathi and left her 9-year-old son, Sri Tej, critically injured. In the aftermath of the stampede, police registered a case against Allu Arjun under Section 105 ( culpable homicide not amounting to murder ) and 118 (1) ( punishment for causing hurt ) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. There was huge nationwide outrage.

Unlike Joseph Vijay and Shah Rukh Khan, Allu Arjun released a three-minute video expressing his deep regret over the death. offering condolences to the family of Revathi, he announced a donation of Rs 25 lakh, and assured to bear all the medical expenses of her son. Protestors vandalized Arjun's house, burning his effigy. However, Allu Arjun was arrested and Arjun spent time in Chanchalguda jail, reported slept on the floor.

Now, this is very clear that politics is a big attraction to the film fraternity. However, most of them fail and only a few succeed. M.G.Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR, J.Jayalaitha, and N.T.Rama Rao are few names who succeeded in politics.

However, their popularity is just like carefully crafted marketing tactics. It makes people believe that they are larger than well. Let's not be fooled by their fake glamour and glitz. We must see the actor with cuts and flaws.