Police parties in Andhra Pradesh are going to have a surfeit of star power. While it is now certain that mega star Chiranjeevi will launch his political party next month, others are rushing to book their own stars to take on the biggest star of Telugu screen.
The latest name to join the list of the stars being sought out by parties is of Mahesh Babu, also known as the prince of Telugu films for his popularity with the new generation of Telugus. Son of veteran actor and former Congress MP G S Krishna, Mahesh Babu is being primed for a political role ahead of the next elections.
According to the plan reportedly chalked out by an influential Congress leader, Mahesh Babu was being prepared to play a lead role in the next election campaign and an image making exercise has already been launched in right earnest.
A meeting of All India Mahes Krishna Sena has decided to organise the star's birthday on August 9 on a grand scale with a week-long celebrations. The programmes will have themes of social service, patriotism mixed with filmi razzmatazz. The thousands of fans of the young star will donate blood, organise health and eye donation camps, distribute food and cloth to the needy, and provide scholarships to students.
However, the biggest campaign will be to encourage people to enroll themselves in the voters list. The campaign is being taken up all over the state. On August 8, the fans will also felicitate freedom fighters to mark the Quit India call anniversary.
According to the sources, this was all being done with a view to groom the chocolate-faced hero for political baptism so that he can take over the political mantle of his father.
Krishna was elected to the Lok Sabha as Congress candidate during the Rajiv Gandhi era. But after the defeat in the subsequent polls, he virtually retired from politics.
Apart from Mahesh Babu, the Congress has also other supporters from celluloid, such as action hero Rajasekhar and his wife Jeevitha.
The Congress' anxiety to get a dose of glamour is understandable given the lineup of the stars across the political divide. While Chiranjeevi himself will be the biggest draw in his party, he also has the support of two other film stars in his younger brothers Naga Babu and Pavan Kalyan. Naga Babu has emerged as a good organiser as he is visiting different parts of the state, talking to political leaders of different parties and wooing them to join his brother. On Sunday, he participated in a big blood donation camp in Mehbubnagar district.
Using their film connections, the Chiru family is also trying to attracts other big names.
The TDP, the original film party, has its own glamour quotient in NTR's children and grandchildren. Balakrishna, a powerful name in Telugu films, has already started playing an active role in TDP's affairs and NTR junior will be the star campaigner in the next elections.
