MADRAS, India — When Indian Telugu film star K. Chiranjeevi entered politics recently in the south Indian state of Andhra, it merely affirmed a widely held belief that cinema and public affairs are firmly linked to each other. Chiranjeevi, who has acted in 138 movies, said it was the former state chief minister and highly popular Telugu actor, the late N.T. Rama Rao, who had inspired him to look beyond the glitzy world of make-believe.
Rama Rao was extraordinarily charismatic. On the screen, he invariably played Hindu gods, destroying evil and helping the innocent and righteous. When he was not a god, he was a Good Samaritan fighting for the poor and downtrodden masses. However, it was not just his film persona or the halo around his head that catapulted him from the greenroom to the high office of chief minister.
Rama Rao established his Telugu Desam Party in March 1982 with one soul-stirring pledge: to restore the self-respect for over 60 million Andhras. The electorate gave him a thumping victory in December of that year.