Bijoy Mohanty and (above) Pappu Pom Pom

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 10: Back from real to reel, Odia movie stars who lent glamour to the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections barely three months ago, now appear wary of uttering the P word. Politics, it seems, was at best a temporary diversion for them and not a pleasant one at that.

Busy acting and making movies, a terrain familiar to them, not many of them were willing to discuss their brief brush with electoral politics and most sought to steer clear of making any commitment to the cause of political parties they had either joined or backed during the polls.

Popular actor Bijoy Mohanty, who contested as the Congress candidate from Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha constituency and was one of the leading campaigners for the party, appeared bitter.

“One experience is enough. I saw people changing colours. I will never contest an election again,” he said.

Mohanty, who lost his deposit, said though the people had bestowed him with love during the campaign, it did not translate into votes. “Voters and spectators are two different entities. I am back to where I belong,” said the star who is busy shooting again.

Popular Odia comedian Pappu Pom Pom, alias Tatwa Prakash Satpathy, who also lost in the polls, mirrored similar sentiments. “The election was a tough test. The same people who appreciated me in the movies behaved differently once I became a BJD candidate,” said Pappu, who is now busy promoting his latest film Ameta Sandha Marka Toka.

Having burnt his fingers in the election fire, Pappu has since neither visited the BJD office here nor taken part in any of the party’s programmes.

However, he says his love and respect for chief minister Naveen Patnaik remains undimished.

“Sometimes, I go and meet Naveen babu but hardly ever discuss anything political with him,” he said.

Some of the fraternity members, who were in the forefront of campaign of major parties during the elections, have become virtually incommunicado refusing to take calls from the media. When popular actress Aparajita Mohanty, who lost to the BJD from the Cuttack Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket, finally picked up the phone, she appeared reluctant to talk.

“Politics is big and I can’t talk about it now. I am not keeping well,” she said curtly before hanging up.

Mihir Mohanty, another popular Odia star, said politics was a different kind of experience but for an actor, movies were the priority. “Elections are past and we need to focus on our bread and butter now. One has to work to survive in this competitive world,” he said.

Popular TV actress Pinky Pradhan, who had joined the BJP on the eve of elections, said: “I have a number of film assignments that I need to complete. But I am in touch with the party president. In politics, like in anything else, slow and steady wins the race.”

Because of her movie assignments, she failed to attend the opening ceremony of BJP’s three-day training programme in Puri.

Arindam, one of the heartthrobs of Odia cinema, who campaigned actively for the BJD, is also busy with his film assignments. For the past one month, he has been promoting the reality show Tuu Hebu Mo Rani on primetime TV.

Of the stars who actually managed to reap rich dividends in the elections was the reigning superstar of Odia filmdom, Anubhav Mohanty, who was rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat by the chief minister for his contribution to the BJD’s cause. But what keeps him busy at the moment is not politics but the promotion of his soon-to-be-released film Mental, the songs of which have become a rage. The busy star could not be reached despite several attempts.

But Akash Das Nayak, the movie star-turned-first time BJD MLA from Korei, is trying hard to learn the political ropes. He was a regular presence in the state Assembly during its last session despite hardly ever opening his mouth. Real politic, after all, is a hard nut to crack.