Is cinema a space for politics?

The connection between cinema and politics is nothing new in India, but social media has given both a whole new dimension. The recent meme war between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and BJP Telangana on the basis of a Telugu comedy Venky exemplifies this new phenomenon.

It is difficult to deny the effectiveness of using movie memes for communication purposes.

The faces, lines or gestures of familiar actors can instantly strike a chord. Brahmanandam, for instance, has been a frequent face in Telugu memes, his expressions effortlessly morphed to express different quirks. His comic timing makes it easy to instantly ‘get’ any given meme.

But is everything in politics worth a Brahmanandam meme?

Memes are undeniably effective in making an argument easily comprehensible to the younger audiences who constitute a good portion of social media users. They are also an effective way to reach out to people who otherwise might not pay attention to politics. Having said that, humour is dangerously close to an excuse to ignore the real issues. A single funny meme can garner millions of views on social media, but what about the issues behind them?

It also bears repeating that the same character in a similar setting can be employed for very different purposes by either side.

The Brahmanandam incident is not the first case where a movie character has been used by political parties for their campaign. The current trend reflects how much political rhetoric has changed in the past decade, with parties increasingly relying on entertainment content. Not only is there nothing wrong with this turn of events, it is a part of growing up as a brand.

Speaking to Hans India on the issue, director Srinivas says, “Movie memes can popularize political communications, and it is necessary to separate fact from fantasy. Cinema is primarily a tool for entertainment, which means that popular personalities should not be dragged into debates that do not concern them. Political parties have every opportunity to use stars, provided they do so with a sense of responsibility and accountability.”

However, it is important for a party to remember that while a meme might help spread their message, facts, context and explanations are always necessary components for effective communication that can’t just be replaced by entertainment. Brahmanandam may be a fun way to engage with political content, but users should always have an option to than a meme offers.