Political thriller: fans spoiling Chiranjeevi’s party plot

Filmstars joining politics is nothing new, but when it comes to Telugu ‘Mega Star’ Chiranjeevi, the stage has to be big, the plot as thick...

Filmstars joining politics is nothing new, but when it comes to Telugu ‘Mega Star’ Chiranjeevi, the stage has to be big, the plot as thick as in many of his movies. It would have been okay if the mega star played coy and kept his plans a secret, keeping fans in nail-biting suspense, if they were not so fanatic. The problem is, the script is going horribly wrong with overzealous fans who think of him as nothing less than the next Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, attacking and getting violent with anyone who opposes this idea, and in some cases committing suicide.

The Chiranjeevi Fans’ Association is in the forefront of opposing anyone, including other filmstars, who question Chiranjeevi’s political intentions. On January 28, Telugu actor Rajasekhar and his wife Jeevitha were chased and attacked by fans when he remarked that he won’t join Chiranjeevi if he launched a party, as he was a “political novice”. The star’s fans were so infuriated that they rushed to Bhimavaram railway station in West Godavari district looking for Rajasekhar, but missed him. The fans made another unsuccessful attempt to attack the actor when the train arrived at Guntur late that night.

By the time the train arrived at Secunderabad the next morning, a crowd of angry Chiranjeevi fans was waiting for him. Though Rajasekhar, his wife and elder daughter Sivani left the station through a side exit, their car was chased by fans up to Punjagutta in Hyderabad where they were intercepted. The fans then pelted his car with stones injuring the actor and his daughter.

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In a state where Chiranjeevi, who makes around Rs 2.5 crores per film, is god and devout fans refer to him only as ‘mega star’ out of reverence instead of taking his name, the star’s political suspense is turning out to be bloody thriller.

On February 1, a police jawan committed suicide by consuming poison at Bhadrachalam in Khammam district. Police found a suicide note on him in which the jawan, K Parthsarathi, wrote that he wished to see Chiranjeevi as CM and was unhappy because the star was delaying his entry into politics. He ended the note by advising the star to join politics as soon as possible.

Political parties like Congress and TDP are put in a fix when they have to appoint presidents and other office-bearers at district level units. “If there is a prominent candidate who is a registered Chiranjeevi fan, we are forced to appoint him to an important post like president of District Youth Congress overlooking more suitable contenders. Otherwise, the fans will create trouble. This happened in our Guntur District Youth Congress unit,” a top Congress leader said.

Political analysts are unsure if Chiranjeevi’s party will be able to sweep aside other political parties because of the strong caste equations in Andhra. Congress is mainly supported by Reddys and the TDP by Khammas. Chiranjeevi, however, happens to belong to the Kapu community from the coastal districts.

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Political observer Parkal Prabhakar says besides his fans there is a separate group, comprising retired IAS officers, government servants and intellectuals, who think there is space and need for a third political party in the state and Chiranjeevi’s party may fill that void.