A mixed bag for Mollywood as 'star' candidates fail to weave magic in Kerala Assembly polls

Kerala has once again proved that on-screen glamour is not enough to win election battles as a majority of the film and television celebrities who tried their luck in the April 6 Assembly polls bit the dust when the results were announced on Sunday.

Film actors Mukesh and K B Ganesh Kumar, both contested as ruling LDF nominees, and well-known producer- actor Mani C Kappan, a UDF candidate, came out victorious, while a handful of their small and big screen colleagues had to settle for distressing second or third positions.

Noted playback singer, Daleema Jojo, who tried her hand as a LDF nominee from Aroor, also won with a comfortable majority defeating sitting Congress MLA Shanimol Usman.

It is for the second consecutive time that Mukesh, son of theatre thespian late O Madhavan, is winning from Kollam.

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More than the Tinseltown glamour, his political legacy has helped K B Ganesh Kumar, son of late Kerala Congress (B) leader R Balakrishna Pillai, to win multiple times from his home turf Pathanapuram.

He won by a margin of over 14,000 votes against his nearest rival Jyothikumar Chamakkala of Congress this time.

Prominent celebrity losers include national award-winning actor Suresh Gopi, comedian Dharmajan Bolgatty, actress Priyanka Anoop, actor-anchor Krishnakumar and television serial actor Vivek Gopan.

Gopi, also a Rajya Sabha MP of BJP, tried his luck from the Thrissur constituency but finished behind LDF and UDF nominees.

Also read: Kerala Assembly Election Results 2021: Full list of winners

He, however, had maintained a lead in some of the rounds in the initial hours and could garner an impressive number of votes.

The saffron party had high stakes in the Thiruvananthapuram constituency where they had fielded G Krishnakumar, a familiar face for film and TV buffs but he failed to create any magic and ended up third.

Dharmajan Bolgatty, a sought-after comedian in Mollywood, contested on a Congress ticket from Balussery.

Read more: Left gets historic second term in Kerala; draws a blank in Bengal

Though he came second, it was only far behind young Left leader K M Sachin Dev.

Priyanka Anoop, known for her comedy roles, and Vivek Gopan, who represented Democratic Social Justice Party and BJP respectively, also bit the dust in Aroor and Chavara.

Pala MLA and producer-actor, Mani C Kappan, who switched over to the Congress-led UDF camp, after the LDF denied him the seat, gave a rude shock to the ruling Left camp with a resounding majority against his arch-rival and Kerala Congress (M) chief Jose K Mani.

Kappan has essayed various roles in 25 films, produced at least 12 films, besides directing the super hit 'Mannar Mathai Speaking'.

Unlike neighbouring Tamil Nadu, where actors like M G Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa went on to become Chief Ministers, the politically conscious voters of Kerala normally keep celebrities at an arm's length.

Though late actor Murali had unsuccessfully contested in 1999 from the Alappuzha Lok Sabha seat on the CPI(M) ticket, actor Innocent, won from Chalakudy as CPI(M) backed independent in 2011, but had to bite the dust in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Eminent film-maker Ramu Kariat whose 'Chemmeen' brought Kerala its first National award in Malayalam was elected to the Assembly in 1964 from Nattika as a CPI(M) backed independent.