Bihar Elections: 'Nachaniya to Netaji' — Khesari Lal Yadav’s Journey from Bhojpuri Stardom to Politics

On the dusty roads of Chhapra, every time Khesari Lal Yadav’s luxury Ford Endeavour rolls through a village, it feels as though the entire countryside erupts in celebration. As soon as his SUV halts at a turn, people abandon their fields and rush to catch a glimpse. Children whip out their smartphones to record videos, women peek from the rooftops and a familier cheer rises — “Khesari Lal aa gailen!” (Khesari Lal has arrived!) For days now, this has been the sound echoing through the lanes and bazaars of Chhapra. The Bhojpuri superstar, who once ruled the silver screen with song and dance, now relies more on political slogans than lyrics to woo his audience. Chhapra goes to vote on November 6.

The Political Battlefield of Chhapra

Situated near the confluence of the Saryu and Ganga rivers, the historic Chhapra assembly constituency has become into a key electoral battleground. Representing the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has fielded Khesari Shatrughan Kumar Yadav, better known as Khesari Lal, while the BJP has nominated Chhoti Kumari from the NDA. Both are contesting their first assembly election. One among the ten constituencies of Saran district, the land of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan and “Bhojpuri’s Shakespeare”, Bhikhari Thakur,  Chhapra has drawn unusual attention this election season, largely due to Khesari’s candidacy.

From the Margins to Stardom and Controversy

Among the most popular, yet controversial figures in Bhojpuri cinema and music, Khesari Lal Yadav’s life has always been under the spotlight. Sometimes for his rags-to-riches journey, other times for the obscenity of his songs. Now, as he takes the political plunge, his old controversies have resurfaced, testing if his stardom can translate into credibility.  Born in a small village in Saran, Khesari’s story is that of a lower-caste youth who climbed the ladders of struggle to become the voice of Bhojpuri cinema. His journey is inspirational but also full of contradictions. Alongside hard work and grit, it also carries the stain of vulgarity that has long drawn criticism for degrading Bhojpuri cultural pride.

The Early Years: Blessings of “Kamla Baba”

In Dhanadh village, 80-year-old Janakdev Yadav smiles at the mere mention of Khesari’s name. His house stands right opposite Khesari’s. “He never forgets to take my blessings when he visits,” Janakdev says warmly. Recalling the singer’s childhood, he narrates: “He must have been eight or nine when his uncle, Medhu, used to send him to graze cattle. But instead of herding cows, he would start beating a tin drum and sing along. People laughed, but his voice had power. Medhu would beat him, but finally, seeing his interest, he sent him to Kamla Baba, a local folk singer.” Kamla Baba became Khesari’s first guru, taking him to local performances and giving him the stage. “That’s where he learned to sing bhajans and couplets,” Janakdev recalls. “Whenever Baba performed, he’d push Khesari forward and say, ‘Now Khesari will sing.’” Khesari began touring villages with Kamla Baba. His father, Mangru Yadav, sold litti-chokha on Delhi’s streets to sustain the family, while the young Khesari often joined him to help.

“A Star, Yet One of Us”

Umesh Yadav, Khesari’s cousin, says fame hasn’t changed him. “He’s as friendly as ever. When he visits, he meets everyone the same way he did as a boy.” Umesh laughs, remembering: “He was never shy. During village weddings, when orchestras played, he’d climb on stage and start singing and dancing.” But for elders like Janakdev Yadav, Khesari’s rise is more than just entertainment but it’s a matter of caste pride. “Just as Lalu Prasad Yadav gave voice to the backward castes against upper-caste dominance in politics,” Janakdev says, “Khesari has done the same in Bhojpuri cinema.”

He recalls Khesari’s rivalry with Pawan Singh, another Bhojpuri star. “They once exchanged obscene songs about each other’s family members and even filed cases. I scolded Khesari about singing vulgar songs, but he said, ‘It’s what the new generation demands.’” Sighing, Janakdev adds: “Once Bhikhari Thakur sang about women’s pain and social injustice. Today’s stars strip women in their songs.”

Breaking the Upper-Caste Monopoly

Now 39, Khesari is the youngest of three brothers. His rustic tone and earthy pain resonated with Bhojpuri’s masses. For decades, the industry was dominated by upper-caste—mostly Bhumihar, Rajput, and Brahmin—actors and singers. Lower-caste performers were limited to comic or marginal roles. Khesari broke that barrier, becoming a symbol of representation for OBC communities in popular culture. He didn’t just gain stardom but he disrupted the caste hierarchy of the Bhojpuri entertainment world. His success gave pride to those who had long been treated as secondary audiences in their own linguistic cinema.

Between Bhikhari Thakur and Khesari Lal

After receiving his RJD ticket, Khesari told the media, “I come from the same land where Bhikhari Thakur was born.” Half-jokingly, he added, “That land gave birth to one Bhikhari—and another Khesari.”
In that self-congratulatory comparison, however, lies a telling gap between artistic legacy and populist vulgarity. As Bhikhari Thakur’s song “Piya Gailen Calcutta Sajanwa, Chhod Gailen Humke Akel Ho Ram” gave poetic voice to women’s loneliness and dependence, Khesari’s infamous line “U majja naikhe hamar bhatara mein, jon majja dewra ke chehtra mein” (“My husband doesn’t satisfy me like my brother-in-law does”) turned Bhojpuri music into soft pornography. Had Khesari truly understood Bhikhari Thakur’s art, he would never have compared his crude popularity with the moral and emotional depth of Bhojpuri’s Shakespeare.

The Fall of Bhojpuri Music’s Moral Compass

Songs like “Thoke Thoke Thare,” “Lahanga Mein Current Ba,” and “Piyawa Se Pahile Humar Rahelu” have made Khesari a household name but also the face of a cultural decline. Critics argue he brought Bhojpuri to every village, but at the cost of linguistic dignity and social consciousness. The demand to include Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution has been ongoing. But Bhikhari Thakur’s great-grandson Sushil Kumar feels disillusioned: “Bhojpuri songs have become so vulgar that mothers and sisters can’t listen to them anymore. I feel ashamed to even speak the language.”

“The Public Wants It”— Or So He Says

When Outlook asked Khesari about his obscene songs, Khesari defended himself: “I’m not solely responsible. When such songs began, why didn’t anyone stop them? The NDA has ruled for twenty years — why didn’t they censor them?” He has since promised that if elected, he would ban vulgar Bhojpuri songs.

But not everyone is impressed. Nivedita Jha, a theatre practitioner, disagrees. “Every person has a cultural hunger,” she says. “If you keep feeding people filth, they’ll start finding it entertaining.” Comparing today’s scenario to the criminalization of politics, she adds, “Now vulgar singers are being given political tickets. Parties have no moral ground—they only look at popularity and winnability. When society rewards vulgarity, the culture itself stops feeling shock.”

Artists like Chandan Tiwari still try to restore dignity through folk-rooted, meaningful songs. “Both singers and lyricists are responsible,” she tells Outlook. “It’s wrong to claim that only because people like obscene songs, such songs are being made.” Bhikhari Thakur’s descendant Sushil Kumar goes further,“Today’s Bhojpuri songs have spread such filth that women can’t listen without shame. I feel embarrassed to call myself a Bhojpuri speaker.”

From “Nachaniya” to “Netaji”?

Despite the criticism, Khesari’s entry into politics has intensified public fascination. His opponents mock him as a nachaniya (dancer) or adharmi (immoral), yet his contribution to commercializing and digitizing Bhojpuri cinema is undeniable. His films broke records, his concerts sold out, and he became the first digital superstar of Bhojpuri music.
Now, as Khesari transitions from “superstar” to “netaji,” the question looms large:
Can he rise above his scandalous past, or will the same popularity that earned him his ticket become his greatest liability? At this crossroads, it won’t be his songs but his deeds and character that will determine whether Khesari Lal Yadav’s next act belongs to entertainment or to responsibility.