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Feeling anger, compassion and community in popular Telugu cinema

Author

Listed:
  • Imke Rajamani

    (Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin)

Abstract

In 2008, actor Chiranjeevi founded the political party Praja Rajyam (People’s Rule) and carried the emotional style of the compassionate angry man from the silver screen onto the electoral platform of the South Indian state Andhra Pradesh. Although Chiranjeevi had secured his place as the most successful star of popular Telugu cinema through the genre of the mass film in the 1980s, the ‘Megastar’ failed to mobilise a majority of his fans to become his voters. The article addresses the tensions between the politics of representation on the screen and on the campaign trail by focusing on the image of Chiranjeevi as a leader figure and the feeling community that complemented his emotional style. It suggests that when the star suddenly transformed his image from an angry rebel to that of a compassionate patron, his emotional style stopped resonating with the feeling community his own films had created.

Suggested Citation

  • Imke Rajamani, 2017. "Feeling anger, compassion and community in popular Telugu cinema," The Indian Economic & Social History Review, , vol. 54(1), pages 103-122, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indeco:v:54:y:2017:i:1:p:103-122
    DOI: 10.1177/0019464616683482
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