Many Gujaratis who have made their mark in entertainment industry, be it Bollywood or television are set to campaign for BJP this Lok Sabha polls.
Many Gujaratis who have made their mark in entertainment industry, be it Bollywood or television (Tellywood), are set to campaign for BJP this Lok Sabha polls. The actors have won the hearts of millions of Gujarati people, but whether they will be able to pull crowds in election meetings and, more importantly, swing votes in the favour of BJP will only be known in the coming days.
The BJP, observers say, has stolen a march over rivals as far as innovative election campaigns are concerned. The party has planned interesting public campaigns, publicity material and interaction with voters based on information technology. The inclusion of celluloid stars is part of the strategy to draw large crowds to the party meetings, which can otherwise be an arduous task in the scorching summer.
The party already has in its ranks some big matinee idols who have been star campaigners in previous polls. "Stars like Hema Malini, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shatrughan Sinha have campaigned in state before and they will do the same this time too," said a party source, adding that, "The party has decided to take help of Gujarati stars because they can speak in Gujarati and draw large crowds in rural areas."
The party has already roped in Paresh Rawal, the best-known Gujarati actor in Bollywood today. Rawal had addressed public meetings in Palanpur, Kheralu, Visnagar and Mansa in north Gujarat region. Another celebrity campaigner is Manoj Joshi who has addressed the party's poll meetings. TV actress Bhairavi Raichura, popularly known as Kajalbhai, has also addressed public meetings in the city. However can't get large crowd.
Mahesh Kanodia, famous Gujarati filmmaker and singer and a former BJP MP, and his son Hitu Kanodia are busy campaigning for the party. Other actors or film personalities who will soon join election campaign are Darshan Jariwala, Neeraj Vora, Apara Mehta, Firoz Irani, Bakul Thakkar, Mihir Bhuta and Mehul Buch. Darshan Jariwala is a household name in the state after his superhit Gujarati soap 'Narsiayo'. He also played the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the movie, 'Gandhi My Father'.
Apara Metha is a popular actress of Gujarati and Hindi TV serials. She became a nationwide celebrity after her role in TV soap,' Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'. In Gujarat, she is known for her excellent role in Gujarati soap 'Sapna na Vavetar', which has also been filmed in Hindi and broadcast at national television.
Neeraj Vora is a famous actor, director and writer in Bollywood. His claim to fame is Priyadarshan's superhit Hindi movie, Phir Hera Pheri, starring Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty. He wrote the story of the film. He has also acted in movies like Satya, Mann, Company and Daud. Firoz Irani is another Gujarati actor, known for his negative roles in Gujrati movies, who has joined the BJP bandwagon. The BJP sees value in celebrities campaigning for the party. "The film and television stars have solid support of their fans and the community they belong to," said Bharat Pandya, former MLA and in-charge of the BJP election office.
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