Celebrities in Politics: A Global Overview and Nepal's Recent Trends

A significant number of celebrities entered parliament following the general elections on Falgun 21. While the term 'celebrity' is broad, we generally refer to artists from the film and music industries. Some argue that it is better if artists and athletes stay out of politics. Whether this argument holds weight is a separate debate. However, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which won just two seats shy of a two-thirds majority in this election, gave nominations to a good number of celebrities.

It might be difficult to pinpoint exactly which artist entered politics first. In the era of modern politics, Hollywood actor George Murphy became the first US Senator in 1960. Even before him, actress Hedy Lamarr became a member of Congress in 1940.

However, the most prominent figure to rise from an artistic background to lead the nation is Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan. Winning as a Republican, he served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. His presidential tenure is known as the Reagan Era.

In the UK, the birthplace of the Westminster system, artists have also entered politics for a long time. Glenda Jackson, a British actress who won two Academy Awards, served as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party from 1992 to 2015. From 1997 to 1999, she even served as the 'Junior Transport Minister'. Michael Cashman was a British actor and writer. Entering politics from the Labour Party, he later became a Member of the European Parliament.

Italy's famous comedian Beppe Grillo established himself in politics through the Five Star Movement. He later emerged as the leader of a major political force in the country.

Today, the most discussed name is Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy, who became the President of Ukraine after being a comedian, gained immense attention as the Russia-Ukraine war began immediately after his term started, which has been ongoing since February 24, 2022. Critics also allege that Zelenskyy's immature diplomacy was responsible for this war. Nevertheless, he is a famous modern figure who entered politics from the arts and rose to lead his country. Zelenskyy, who played the role of the President on TV, actually became the real President.
 

Looking at our neighboring country India, South India appears to be ahead in this regard. South Indian superstar M.G. Ramachandran successfully became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He entered politics in 1972 by forming the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party. His party achieved a historic victory in the 1977 assembly elections, making Ramachandran the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He subsequently won the assembly elections in 1980 and 1984 to remain Chief Minister.

N. T. Rama Rao was a famous Telugu actor. He later entered politics and succeeded in becoming the Chief Minister of the then Andhra Pradesh. Rao, who plunged into politics by establishing the Telugu Desam Party in 1982, served as Chief Minister three times: in 1983, 1984, and 1994. Jr. NTR, the hero of the movie 'RRR' known today, is the grandson of N. T. Rama Rao.

Another artist who made a mark in South Indian politics is Jayalalithaa. The famous Tamil actress Jayalalithaa holds a record as Chief Minister. She served as Chief Minister six times—in 1991, 2001, 2002, 2011, 2015, and 2016—representing the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party, which was founded by M.G. Ramachandran. She was known by the nickname 'Amma' in Tamil Nadu.

There are also many Bollywood actors in politics. Although not currently active in politics, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan was once a Member of the Lok Sabha. He served as a Lok Sabha member for the Indian National Congress from 1984 to 1987. Elected from the Allahabad constituency, he resigned from his Lok Sabha seat after three years. He later stated that entering politics was a mistake and he would never return.

Another actor, Shatrughan Sinha, is still active in politics. He is currently a Lok Sabha member representing the Asansol constituency in West Bengal from the Trinamool Congress. Previously, he was active in politics with both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress.

Former famous Bollywood actress Hema Malini is currently a BJP Member of the Lok Sabha. After serving as a Rajya Sabha member from 2003 to 2009, Hema Malini was elected from the Mathura constituency in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

She was re-elected as a Lok Sabha member from the same constituency in 2019 and 2024. Actress Jaya Bachchan is also a Rajya Sabha member, and actor Sunny Deol was elected as a Lok Sabha member in 2019.

Famous actress Kangana Ranaut is currently a Lok Sabha member for the BJP. She was elected from the Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh in the 2024 elections.

The number of artists involved in politics in India is large. At one time, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Govinda were also involved in politics, but they did not remain full-time activists.

Currently, the discussion around Tamil superstar Thalapathy Vijay seems particularly special. Following M.G. Ramachandran and Jayalalithaa, Vijay is planning to establish dominance in Tamil Nadu politics. He entered politics in 2024 by announcing Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) under his leadership. He is running his political campaign targeting the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections scheduled for 2026. His rallies see the presence of thousands to lakhs of people.

After discussing various countries around the world, let's discuss the political journeys of Nepali artists. Especially after the establishment of the republic, artists seem to be attracted to politics. Actor Bhuwan KC prepared to contest from Kathmandu-1 in the 2074 election and joined CPN-UML. However, CPN-UML ultimately revoked his ticket and gave it to someone else. Actress Rekha Thapa joined politics through the Maoists after the establishment of the republic. However, she also did not get a ticket for the election and later joined the RPP. In the 2079 election, she contested from Morang-3 but was defeated. Actress Karishma Manandhar also got involved in politics by joining Dr. Baburam Bhattarai's Naya Shakti Party and later CPN-UML. Currently, she appears inactive in politics.

These are stories of 'failure'. But a strong name that emerged from an artistic background and became successful in politics is Balen Shah. After Balen was elected Mayor of Kathmandu by a huge margin in the 2079 local elections, his fame soared not just nationally but internationally. In the House of Representatives election held on Falgun 21, he contested as a candidate for the future Prime Minister from the Rastriya Swatantra Party. He contested from Jhapa Constituency No. 5 and defeated CPN-UML Chairman and former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli by a margin of nearly 50,000 votes. Balen is scheduled to take the oath of office as Prime Minister on Friday.

A good number of people with artistic backgrounds have entered parliament through this election. Actress and media personality Rima Bishwakarma, singer and media personality Ramesh Prasai, actress Ashika Tamang, and former Miss Nepal Anushka Shrestha have become MPs. They are all RSP MPs elected through the proportional representation system.

There is also a strong narrative in Nepal that artists should not engage in politics. Some people say, 'Artists should not do politics; they belong to everyone,' or 'It's hard to be universally accepted when affiliated with one party,' and so on.

Among those who say this, some might secretly wish that their favorite artist does not lean towards any party affiliation. If an artist openly supports a party, the audience might react negatively, and they might reject the artist's creative work. Such examples have been seen with some artists in Nepal. This effect seems particularly pronounced for singers.

But even saying this, should people from no profession be allowed in politics? People from various professions enter politics—some might be teachers or professors, some employees, some journalists. Then there are businesspeople, farmers, and laborers. Why should artists and athletes be excluded? Politics is not a profession; it is service. Furthermore, politics is representation. Thinking from this perspective might be appropriate.

Now, regarding success and failure. A narrative has also emerged in Nepal that if celebrities manage the country, they will fail. The example of Zelenskyy is often cited here. Whether Zelenskyy did well or poorly for his country Ukraine is a separate debate. But why aren't Ronald Reagan, M.G. Ramachandran, N.T. Rama Rao, and Jayalalithaa mentioned in the same breath? They came from artistic backgrounds and succeeded in steering politics.

It might not be right for an artist to enter politics while still actively pursuing their artistic career. Artists are considered common property. But what is objectionable if an artist sets aside their artistic career, enters politics with prudence, and intends to contribute to nation-building? Isn't Balen Shah, who comes from an artistic background, becoming the Prime Minister in our country?

In the detailed video