Dramatic Exit

The late Dr Rajkumar, who played god, social reformer, do-gooder, romantic and angry young man in reel life, was a great crowd-puller in real life but he never used his charm for a political end like MGR of Tamil Nadu or Andhra8217;s NTR.

The late Shankar Nag was among the most magnetic heroes of the Kannada film industry. Years after his premature death, his angry-young-man roles are still well remembered. Another superstar, Vishnuvardhan, has chosen prayer over politics.

Ambareesh, who made his debut in the Kannada film world in the mid 1970s as a villain to Vishnuvardhan8217;s hero, is the only Kannada hero to have grabbed votes consistently on the basis of the emotions he evoked on the silver screen, as an angry young man.

A Shatrughan Sinha-type of hero in his heydays, the popularity of the now 56-year-old 8220;rebel star8221; Ambareesh has, unlike other Kannada stars, also been hugely influenced by the majority Vokkaliga community he belongs to. Popularly known in the Vokkaliga heartland, in the Cauvery basin, in south Karnataka, as 8220;Mandyada Gandu8221; or Mandya ka Mard, Ambareesh was introduced to politics by Vokkaliga strongman and Janata Dal Secular leader HD Devegowda on a JDS ticket.

The droopy-eyed star first tasted electoral success in 1998 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandya on a JDS ticket. Following differences with Devegowda, the actor-politician switched political affiliations for the 1999 general elections. He was elected to the 13th Lok Sabha as a Congress MP. In 2004, while the ruling Congress lost several assembly seats in Mandya region, Ambareesh emerged victorious.

A year before the LS election, Karnataka was hit by drought and was asked by the Supreme Court to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. Ambareesh won popular favour with his decision to quit parliament in protest over the water release but his resignation was not accepted.

In the Lok Sabha, however, Ambareesh came to gain reputation as an absentee MP. The star was a known alcoholic 8212; sessions began from mid-day when he woke up, to when he slept in the early hours of the morning. People had begun dismissing Ambareesh as a good-for-nothing, slothful leader who would bite dust at the hustings when in October 2006, the Congress high command, ahead of a crucial assembly bypoll in the region, decided to induct him into the central UPA ministry. The move was to counter the JDS hold over Vokkaliga votes.

Ambareesh turned a new leaf. Camping in Mysore district for over a fortnight, he spearheaded the Congress electoral efforts that resulted in a narrow win for the party in the bypoll.

Following the February 5 order of the Cauvery tribunal, Ambareesh first dropped hints of his possible exit from parliament and the UPA ministry when he cancelled a special puja scheduled for February 7 to inaugurate his New Delhi office. The next day when cornered in Mandya by protesters, Ambareesh said he would quit if it would serve the people8217;s interests in any way.

Before the JDS could point to him, the superstar put in his papers. And rode the Cauvery current back to popularity.