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Actors Moved Acting to Politics: Explainer: The relationship between Indian cinema and politics is very old. Many stars who made a place in the hearts of crores of people through films later turned to politics and contested elections claiming to serve the public. Some of them only contested elections, some became MPs, and there were some who traveled till the post of Chief Minister. In South India, the influence of film stars in politics has been seen the most, but many big actors of Hindi cinema have also been part of the Parliament and the government.

Some time ago, Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay’s entry into politics was the most talked about thing. After starting his political party, he announced that his film ‘Jana Nayakan’ would be the last film of his acting career and now his entire focus would be on politics. So in such a situation, let us know about those stars who came out of films and made their own identity in politics.

M.G. Ramachandran

When it comes to stars who became successful in politics from films, the first name that comes to mind is M.G. Comes from Ramachandran i.e. MGR. MGR, a superstar of Tamil films, converted his popularity into political power. He founded All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in the year 1972. After this, in 1977 he became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the first time. MGR, who became the Chief Minister for three consecutive terms, maintained a strong hold on the politics of the state for almost a decade. Even today his name is taken with great respect in the politics of Tamil Nadu.

J. Jayalalitha

Jayalalitha started her career as an actress. He gave many superhit films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Her pairing with MGR was much liked in films. Later, under the guidance of MGR, he entered politics. After the death of MGR, she took charge of AIADMK and became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu several times. She was known as ‘Amma’ among the public. Many public welfare schemes were started during his tenure, which made him a popular leader.

N.T. Ramarao

People remember the great actor of Telugu cinema, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) for the roles of Lord Shri Ram and Shri Krishna in films. His popularity was so great that after coming into politics the public immediately accepted him. He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh within just a few months. NTR was the Chief Minister three times and is considered the most influential leader of the state politics.

Chiranjeevi

Telugu film megastar Chiranjeevi formed Praja Rajyam Party in 2008. However, later his party merged with Congress. Chiranjeevi became a Rajya Sabha MP and also held the responsibility of Union Minister of State for Tourism in the Central Government. Even though he did not get the same success in politics as he did in films, he made his presence felt in national politics.

Pawan Kalyan

South superstar Pawan Kalyan founded Jana Sena Party in 2014 after achieving huge success in films. After a long political struggle, his party got a big success in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections. After this Pawan Kalyan became the Deputy Chief Minister of the state. He also has the responsibility of important departments like Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Environment.

Thalapathy Vijay

Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay started his political career by forming Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) party. He clearly said that he has said goodbye to films to remain fully active in politics. ‘Jana Nayakan’ was said to be the last film of his acting career.

Amitabh Bachchan

The megastar of the century, Amitabh Bachchan entered politics in 1984. He contested the elections from Allahabad Lok Sabha seat and won with a huge vote. However, his political journey did not last long. After a few years, he left politics and returned to films again. Amitabh has said many times that politics was not for him.

Hema Malini

Dream girl Hema Malini has been associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party for a long time. She has also been a Rajya Sabha member and currently represents the Mathura Lok Sabha constituency of Uttar Pradesh. As an MP, she has worked on issues like tourism, women empowerment and development of religious places.

Shatrughan Sinha

Actor Shatrughan Sinha, famous for his ‘Khamosh’ dialogue, was elected MP several times on Bharatiya Janata Party ticket. Later he changed party and remained active in national politics. He was also a minister in the central government in ministries like health and shipping. Even today he is active in politics.

Smriti Irani

Although Smriti Irani got more recognition from the TV industry than films, her name is also included among the successful leaders coming into politics from the entertainment world. Smriti Irani, who became popular with ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, after coming into politics, handled important ministries like Union Women and Child Development Minister and Education Minister.

Jaya Prada

Popular actress Jaya Prada of the 80s and 90s also traveled a long way in politics. She came into politics from Andhra Pradesh and later became MP from Rampur Lok Sabha seat of Uttar Pradesh. He worked with different political parties and raised many issues in Parliament.

Jaya Bachchan

Actress Jaya Bachchan has been elected Rajya Sabha MP from Samajwadi Party several times. She is known for her outspoken opinions in Parliament on issues to art, culture, women’s safety and film industry.

Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari

Two big stars of Bhojpuri film industry, Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari, are also active in politics. Ravi Kishan is an MP from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, while Manoj Tiwari has been an MP from Delhi several times. Both have been playing active roles in the Parliament on the development and cultural issues of their respective areas.

FAQ 1: Which film star created history by becoming the first Chief Minister?
Tamil superstar M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) is counted among the most successful leaders who entered politics from the film industry and became the Chief Minister. He became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1977.

FAQ 2: Why did Thalapathy Vijay say goodbye to films?
After starting his political party, Thalapathy Vijay announced that he wants to focus completely on politics. For this reason, he described ‘Jana Nayakan’ as the last film of his acting career.

FAQ 3: Which Bollywood stars have been MPs?
Many film stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Jaya Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada, Ravi Kishan and Manoj Tiwari have been part of the country’s Parliament as MPs.

FAQ 4: In which state has the maximum influence of films been seen in politics?
The biggest influence of film stars in politics has been seen in the politics of South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, where many actors became Chief Ministers and big political leaders.