Several film personalities are expected to attend Saturday’s inauguration of film museum in Mumbai as Modi looks to them for endorsement.
New Delhi: As the countdown to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections begins, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is looking to tap into as many varied constituencies as it can, and a key element of this is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strategic outreach to the Hindi film industry.
Saturday’s inauguration of the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai — expected to be attended by several film personalities — is yet another example of Modi’s emphasis on the film industry ahead of polls.
In just two months, the prime minister has been part of at least three such events or interactions related to the cinema world.
Highly placed sources in the party say this is a carefully drafted strategy to “tap into influencers who can help spread the BJP’s campaign”. For Modi, reaching out to the film industry isn’t just about reaching out to them as voters, but more importantly, using them as key influencers.
Recent events
On 18 December, Modi met a delegation of producers from the Hindi film industry who called on him, including big names like Karan Johar, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Siddharth Roy Kapur and Rakesh Roshan, among others.
Heartfelt thank you to the honorable Prime Minister @narendramodi ji for taking out time to hear us at length, discuss issues pertaining to our industry and assuring positive consideration of suggestions. pic.twitter.com/ShGfr0Jlvu
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) December 18, 2018
Less than a month later on 11 January, he met yet another delegation of film personalities, including actors Ranbir Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, among others.
On Wednesday, Modi met senior actor Anil Kapoor who tweeted a picture of the meeting.
I had the opportunity to meet our h'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji today & I stand humbled and inspired in the wake of our conversation. His vision and his charisma are infectious & I'm grateful for the chance to have witnessed it in person 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/Tnl7JNRvT4
— Anil Kapoor (@AnilKapoor) January 16, 2019
The prime minister also shares pictures of his meetings with film personalities, and often takes to Twitter to wish some members on their birthdays or wish them good health if they are unwell.
The invitee list of Saturday’s function includes veterans like Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Amitabh Bachchan as well as actors like Akshay Kumar and Raveena Tandon, among others.
Also read: The double life of Anupam Kher: Hollywood’s favourite desi & BJP’s pin-up patriot
‘Soft power’ approach
The BJP is aggressively pursuing its electoral agenda by wooing voters through welfare initiatives, sops, the recent quota for ‘poor’ in general category, attacks on the Congress, Modi’s persona and of course, the Hindutva issue. And, Modi is also looking towards the ‘soft power’ approach of using the appeal of the film industry to shape voter inclination.
BJP sources say the top leadership recognises “the importance of Bollywood and wants to cash in on the popularity of its top guns”.
“PM Modi has always recognised the importance of influencers and similar factors. He paid emphasis on social media much before many other politicians did because he recognised its power to influence,” said a highly placed source in the party who did not wish to be identified.
“He is doing the same with the film community. He understands their reach and impact,” said the source.
BJP president Amit Shah had also met senior actor Madhuri Dixit-Nene in June last year at her residence as part of his ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ campaign.
Modi also makes it a point to attend the wedding functions of celebrities held in Delhi, like that of actor Priyanka Chopra and singer Nick Jonas, or that of the actor-cricketer couple of Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“The idea is simple. Why are these stars used for brand endorsements? Because their fans and well-wishers get influenced by them,” said another BJP leader on condition of anonymity.
“Thus, if the BJP can make itself seem like the favoured party for film personalities, or make it seem like they share a bonhomie with Modi, it can have an effect on a large section of voters,” said the leader.
Also read: BJP considering Madhuri Dixit as a candidate from Pune Lok Sabha constituency in 2019
Multiplier effect
Party sources said the strategy is also to use the mass following of these celebrities on social media. They are encouraged to share pictures of their interactions with the prime minister along with comments.
This, they claim, has a multiplier effect and reaches an extremely wide cross-section of the population.
This will be a hard election. The soft power of Bollywood would have gelled with the campaign of 2014, built around aspiration and the promise of Achhe Din.