Not very long back, elections were about posters, banners and pamphlets, which carried the names and symbols of the respective candidates, along with slogans and a few lines of text. But the age of Internet and social media has brought about a sea change in the way the parties and the candidates woo voters. Now, the poll campaign is less about posters, banners et al and more about sleekly-produced videos and audios for dissemination through TV and radio channels and through social media platforms.
In the run-up to the Assembly polls in the state, both the BJP and the Congress have flooded the social and mainstream media with a series of videos. And these videos do not figure celebrities, but of common men and women, praising this party and berating that, singing paeans to this leader and making fun of that.
Free Press talked to some city-based artistes who have played different roles in these short video films. All of them are clear that they have nothing to do with the ideology of the party they worked for. For them, it is a purely professional job, which has no relationship whatsoever with their personal political leanings. They are, of course, happy that they have got paid for the job and their faces are being beamed into lakhs of homes through TV and social media. Excerpts:
Waseem Khan
I have worked in 12 videos for both parties, first for the BJP and then for the Congress. And the best part is that the parties paid us handsomely for our work. The duration of the video is five minutes on TV and one or two minutes on social media. The entire video was shot in Bhopal and its nearby villages. One video takes two hours to complete. Besides acting, I had also bagged assignments for street plays for the polls. Being artistes, the party doesn’t matter for us whether it is the BJP or the Congress. I enjoy my work a lot. In fact I am getting good response from public. I hope for new government that they may provide quality education and employment.
Sadat Bharti
I got a chance for the first time to get work in videos which are campaigning for political parties are through social media. And I think, the reach of social media is more so, the parties will reap more benefits. I have worked in three videos for the Congress too. The duration of all the videos were 50 seconds each and it talks about the issue like inflation and impact of note ban and demonetisation especially in property business. We dedicated one hour in one video which was shot at Idgah Hills in the city. I am a professional actor and for me the change of guard will hardly matter because I feel that things will remain same only the faces “may” change.
Yogesh Tiwari ‘Veeru’
It was a good experience. I got a chance for the first time to work in videos. I have worked in three videos, a minute each for the Congress which highlights the masses “annoyance” and dissatisfaction with the government’s policies and corruption is police administration. Nowadays, mobile penetration is unthinkable. And we are getting appreciation from our friends and relatives. It was shot in Bhopal and Gyaraspur village in Vidisha. I am not bogged down with party, politics. If I get an offer I work.
Balendra Singh
I have worked for three videos for the Congress. And the duration of each video is 30 seconds. All the videos talk about the issue of unemployment and scams of the government. It was quite a different experience for me because I got a chance to campaign for a political party for the first time through social media. It had shades of comedy etc. No doubt, it is good opportunity for local artists. It is like a bonus for them.
Archana Kumar
I have worked for various schemes of the government but it is for the first time that I worked in a 30-second campaign video for the BJP government. I bagged the assignment through a friend. I work with a team from Mumbai and my teammates are very supportive. I enjoy my work. For an actor the script and the assignment should be important , not any colur or party ideology. For us good work matters the most to create a solid profile. I hope the new government will work towards maintaining women safety, peace and harmony in the society.
Priya Sahoo
It was a good experience. Earlier, I had performed at Bharat Bhawan and Ravindra Bhawan, but for the first time we got chance to work for social media especially during the elections which was an important assignment. I have worked in a video for the Congress. The one-minute long video spoke about change. It was shot at Kolar Road in the city. For us, all parties are the same, we are ready to work for any party whether it is the BJP or the Congress. I expect the new government to provide more job opportunities for all.