Prabhunath Singh.... A very different breed of politician. A leading light of the Janata Dal (United), Prabhunath is actually one of the infamous dons of Bihar. He inspires terror in his constituency Maharajganj and is a history-sheeter named in numerous cases. In Parliament, he is the sort of MP who can be relied upon to create a ruckus, shout down his opponents and disrupt proceedings by rushing to the well of the house. In person, he is no Laloo, but his typical Bihari drawl and humour win him a regular audience. In short, he is the type of character that actors attempt to play in films about Bihar churned out by directors like Prakash Jha.
Except that the don-politician has decided to act himself. He is awaiting the September release of his first Bhojpuri film Behula, a mythological, in which he plays a father figure. He certainly has glamorous leading ladies for company. There's Hema Malini, whose cheeks had once inspired Laloo to declare in Bhojpuri that the roads of Bihar will be as "chikna" (smooth). If that's not enough, there's also Bhagyashree. Having thoroughly enjoyed this tryst with celluloid, Prabhunath says he is planning to do an encore in yet another Bhojpuri venture, a patriotic film. And just in case he is accused of taking politics lightly, his aides say he is "deeply committed to promoting the cause of Bhojpuri".
But Prabhunath will always be a wannabe compared to the real politician-star, Laloo. There is no dearth of offers the Bihar politician has to act in films, from Hindi to Bhojpuri. But he's turned them down, as Laloo, jokes apart, is a deadly serious politician. Yet, a leading film and TV production house claims they have "almost persuaded" the man to anchor a news and current affairs show. If it comes off, it should be a certain hit, across castes.
Yashwant Sinha, Ex-finance minister : Anchored current affairs show Andaaz Apna Apna on Zee News. Willing to make further forays.
There is one politician who has already tried his hand at television—BJP leader and former finance minister Yashwant Sinha. Two years ago, when he was in the political wilderness, he anchored current affairs show Andaaz Apna Apna on Zee News. The idea, he says, was to give the common man a platform to ask questions about civic and social issues. The programme suited his image as a public figure. "I was interested in a serious programme that would look at issues that concern the average citizen," he says. Now there are rumours of Sinha writing his first film script though he himself is reticent on the subject. He does say he is willing to do "television that would require me to showcase my acumen for finance and politics."
Is something afoot here? Do the Sinhas and the Prabhunath Singhs represent a trend of politicians in the north taking to film and TV? Currently, the numbers are too few and do not offer any comparison to the southern phenomenon where entertainers easily made the transition to politics. The north has no parallels to NTR, MGR or Rajkumar. Instead, it has the odd characters, interesting in their own way, who are seeking the limelight of fields other than politics. What is relatively new, however, is that they are no longer embarrassed to admit to acting in a film or working on a script.
Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP: Writing the script for Bollywood film Vaishali. Also gave inputs for Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate.
Take Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, BJP vice-president. He is busy these days giving finishing touches to his first independent film script for Bollywood, Vaishali. "The script talks about women's empowerment, their exploitation, and exposes the political nexus in the harassment of women," says the former minister. Naqvi says he discovered his "talent" for writing when he gave inputs for Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate. Bhandarkar, in fact, acknowledged Naqvi's support in the film credits. Now absorbed in Vaishali, Naqvi says despite its serious content, it will be a regular mainstream film and have the usual song-and-dance numbers. "I do not want it to be a preachy film. It'll be a mainstream film through and through," he says.
Ashok Pradhan, BJP MP : Has cut a music album called Meri Zindagi Ke Lamhe for T-series. Is on to producing a second album.
Talking of strongmen with a softer side to them, Naqvi has company. The BJP MP from Khurja, Ashok Pradhan, has just written the lyrics and provided the score for his first music album, Meri Zindagi Ke Lamhe. Produced by T-Series, the album is already out in the market and Pradhan has moved on to his second album. "Music is something that can raise your spirits," says the untrained singer. "It is my inspiration and dearer to me than life." Does politics leave him enough time, though? "I still cherish the moments I can call my own and it is during these moments that I sing." He also believes that "those who are engaged in pursuits such as music become more sensitive individuals".
Milind Deora, Congress MP: Is serious about the guitar. Appears regularly at gigs with friends and was an RJ once.
Young Congress MP Milind Deora is equally serious about playing the guitar. "I see myself as a musician," he says. Both politics and music, he feels, require a certain "freewheeling" attitude. He's a regular "at gigs with friends" and has also been an FM radio jockey.
Staid politicians, did someone say? These men certainly prove otherwise. They have found their creative outlets. Politics, some might say, is in any case a performance art, and was already in danger of being consumed as entertainment. With these dual practitioners, that bridge just got shorter.
