Feature
Film stars lose their sheen in this ongoing Lok Sabha elections
Lucknow: Till the turn of the millennium, film stars guaranteed crowds and votes in politics. Political parties wooed them ardently. As a result, top stars like Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Raj Babbar, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, Govinda and Jaya Bachchan braved the heat and dust of campaigning for their political parties.
Some like Dharmendra and Govinda could not understand the manipulations of politics and called it a day after one term. Others like Raj Babbar, Shatrughan Sinha, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan continue to stand their ground.
However, if various political parties are to be believed, the stardust is losing its glitter and film stars can no longer guarantee a win on the seats they campaign for.
A clear indication of this is the fact that the demand for film stars as campaigners is rapidly going down in these elections.
A BJP candidate said: “There is no use getting film stars to campaign because they cannot give speeches and do not leave any impact on voters.”
Explained senior journalist R.K. Singh: “The stars are losing their credibility because they lack conviction in what they say. People know that in most cases stars take money to campaign and this erodes their sincerity. Some stars like Ravi Krishna and Manoj Tiwari have changed more parties than they have delivered hits.”
Besides, he explained, the glamour factor has also reduced because film stars were now seen 24×7 on the social media and television.
“Earlier, people would wait for hours to catch a glimpse of their favourite actor but not any more. You just need to get on to the Internet and you can have your fill,” he added.
In this ongoing Lok Sabha elections film stars lose their sheen:
Bhojpuri stars Ravi Kishan and Dinesh Yadav Nirahua, who are contesting the Gorakhpur and Azamgarh seats respectively, are already finding the going tough.
Raj Babbar, who is presently seeking election for his sixth term to Parliament and holds the position of Uttar Congress President, explains that it needs more than just stardom to survive in politics.
“Much before I started working in theatre and then films, I was associated with the socialist youth politics. I joined the Janata Dal in 1989 and actively participated in party activities. I later joined the Samajwadi Party and then the Congress.
“I never confined myself to campaigning and that is one reason why the parties and the people started taking me seriously,” he says.
When Raj Babbar was appointed President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress in July 2016, few took him seriously in his own party. But two years later, they understood that he means business.
Hema Malini, Jaya Prada, Jaya Bachchan and most others have, on the other hand, confined themselves to campaigning in their own constituencies or in select constituencies. They have not actively involved themselves in party matters.
One actress who spoke to this correspondent on the condition of anonymity said: “I did try to get my word in a few times but was politely told to restrict myself to campaigning. I have understood that apart from my star value, I mean nothing to the party.”
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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