MGR, Sr NTR, and Pawan Kalyan: Popular Actors Who Founded Political Parties

The Lok Sabha Elections 2024 continued on Monday (May 13) with 96 constituencies across 10 states and Union Territories going to polls in the fourth phase. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to vote and participate in the ‘dance of democracy’. Interestingly, there has always been a strong connection between films and politics in our country. In fact, over the years, some actors have even formed their own political parties to “strive for public welfare”. While not everyone has been equally successful, the fact remains that these efforts have gone a long way in adding a new dimension to the political discourse. With the country in election mode, here is a look at 6 actors who started their own political parties after successful careers.

MGR (AIADMK, 1972)

MGR, the star of Tamil blockbusters such as ‘Enga Veetu Pillai’ and ‘Ulagam Sutrum Valiban’, joined the Congress Party during the initial years of his political career but switched to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1953. He remained with the Annadurai-founded party till the early 70s and helped the Dravidian Movement reach the masses. He eventually quit the DMK following differences with M Karunanidhi and formed the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in 1972. Five years later MGR emerged as the first actor to become the Chief Minister of a state.

Sr NTR (TDP, 1982)

Sr NTR redefined the tenets of Telugu cinema with his unforgettable performances in films such as ‘Mayabazar ‘and ‘Lava Kusa’, which helped him emerge as the choice of the mass audience. In 1982, he began a new chapter in life when he founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) to serve the common man. ‘Annagaru’ became the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh a few months later and the rest is history. He had two more terms as CM in 1985 and 1995.

Sivaji Ganesan (TMM, 1988)

Sivaji, one of the pillars of Tamil cinema, founded the Thamizhaga Munnetra Munnani (TMM) in 1988 after a split in the Tamil Nadu wing of the Indian National Congress (INC). The party, however, failed to make an impact and Sivaji dissolved it in 1989.

Chiranjeevi (Praja Rajyam Party, 2008)

Chiranjeevi emerged as Tollywood’s biggest mass hero in the 80s and 90s with his work in cult films such as ‘Gang Leader and ‘Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari’.  In 2008, he entered the political arena and founded the Praja Rajyam Party amid much fanfare. The party contested the 2009 assembly elections and won 18 seats out of 294. ‘Megastar’ eventually merged the Praja Rajyam Party with the Congress in 2011.

Pawan Kalyan (JSP, 2014)

Pawan Kalyan, who emerged as a force to reckon with in the Telugu film industry with films such as ‘Kushi’ and ‘Jalsa’, founded the Jana Sena Party (JSP) in 2014. According to the ‘Power Star’, his party will strive for nationalism and question any type of corruption in the government. JSP is currently part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Kamal Haasan (MNM, 2018)

Kamal Haasan, widely regarded as the original pan-India star, used ‘Bigg Boss Tamil’ as a platform for voicing his opinion on various burning issues close to his heart, This paved the way for his political entry. ‘Ulaganayagan’ formed the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in 2018 to serve the public. The party contested 37 seats in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 but failed to open its account. It also put up candidates on 180 seats in the Tamil Nadu polls in 2021 but drew a blank.