Coimbatore: A look-alike of former chief minister MG Ramachandran, 67-year-old ex-service man MGR Ilango has been a crowd-puller for the AIADMK in election campaign rallies since 1992.
In the past, his dates were always full during the election season and it was extremely difficult to track him down, as he was busy moving from a constituency to another. But this time, the demand for artists like him and troupes has dwindled. Ilango has participated only in six functions so far. The story isn’t any different for the likes of him.
Much of it could be attributed to the ever-growing reach of digital media platforms and the shorter time span between the announcement of poll dates and the poll day.
Pragatheeswaran, a member of Pudukai Poobalam arts troupe, said, “For us, this election is completely different. Due to lack of sufficient time, we could not plan our schedule properly. The number of invites we have received is also fewer than the previous years, as many candidates have turned to digital media platforms.”
Pointing out that the number of political satires being performed during election campaigns has been coming down every year because of several restrictions, he said they hadn’t performed any satires this time. “Our involvement in the campaigns is limited just to dancing and singing. The campaign started hardly 10 days ago and only as many days are left to conclude the same.”
On their part, many candidates have found social media platforms much cheaper. “While they have to shell out anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 to hire 10-15 artists for their campaigns, they have to spend only Rs 5,000 to reach a wider audience on social media,” said PV Shanmugam, a stage artist. The number of invites that he received to perform this year has come down by 60%. “Many artists are not ready to travel outstation, as it is impossible to manage all the expenses with just Rs1,000 per day.”
S Ajithraja, president, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry Stage Dancers’ Association, said they were all seasonal workers. “We usually get chances to perform only from January to June every year, thanks to temple festivals. But this year, temple festivals were cancelled because of the election. Only look-alikes of political leaders and dancers are in demand for election campaigns. The livelihood of others is at stake.”