A general election in India would be incomplete without star presence. That sees political parties field film and sports celebrities as candidates or get them to campaign for them.
So, when Hindi film star Akshay Kumar put out a tweet earlier today about stepping into new territory, it had journalists and social media wondering whether he was set to join politics.
"Getting into an unknown and uncharted territory today. Doing something I have never done before,” Akshay Kumar had tweeted.
According to Cinestaan.com's information, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party did indeed approach the actor to contest the election. “BJP president Amit Shah had called Akshay Kumar a few days ago," a source said. "The discussions are on. If it happens, the announcement is likely to be made first by the BJP. If he doesn’t contest, he may yet campaign for them.”
While Akshay Kumar has never publicly backed any political stream or ideology, his admiration for prime minister Narendra Modi is no secret. The actor also speaks often in support of the Indian armed forces or causes related to them.
The BJP has also reportedly approached Sunny Deol to contest the election as its candidate from Gurdaspur in Punjab. The constituency was represented by Vinod Khanna until his death two years ago.
The BJP already has Hema Malini (Mathura) and Jaya Prada (Rampur) contesting as its candidates.