What does Biplab Chatterjee, CPM candidate from Alipore, think of Trinamul Congress rival Tapas Pal? “Apodartho.”

But within a month of the poll results, the best-known villain of Bengali films will greet this “good for nothing” as his jamaai when shooting starts for the Indo-Bangladesh film Biyer Lagno.

“Elections apart, we don’t have any point of conflict. It’s just that we are supporting two different parties. In fact, he has a very sweet smile,” Chatterjee quips, in between promising drinking water to his female voters in Chetla.

“We are very good friends, otherwise. I don’t have anything against him,” concurs Pal, in a green kurta and white sneakers, sweating it out on Saturday morning, going door to door in Chetla’s Sabjibagan area. “Please remember our symbol,” he pleads with folded hands.

That “sweet smile” remains fixed on the actor’s face even when a middle-aged woman hurls an accusation: “This is the first time we are seeing you after you became councillor.”

To balance such blame are the blessings of his die-hard elderly women fans whose day is made by the rare sight of “Saheb” at their door.

The Alipore constituency, comprising 1,18,000 voters, has turned out to be the battleground of two fading film stars. The hero of Dadar Kirti, Saheb and Gurudakshina had won the seat by a margin of 18,518 votes five years ago, but Tollywood’s favourite baddie is trying to trip him in the run-up to his second term.

With his party losing ground and his leader strangely silent, Pal finds himself on a turning pitch. Ask him about his kirtis in his constituency over five years and he fumbles. “People love me for my films but I have also done a lot of development work in my area? I have donated around Rs 1.15 crore from my MLA’s Development Fund to renovate the CMDA quarters and several other things?” He has to turn to a co-worker to hand him a party leaflet that lists his achievements: spending money on power connection, the drainage system, a gym and more.

“But I am not saying that I have done all that I had wanted to. I will have to look into the lockgate problem and many other things. I am confident I will win,” declares Pal, rubbishing the refrain of him being the “missing MLA of Alipore”.

“It’s not possible for me to come and visit the area very often. I have dropped in whenever my councillors have asked me to,” he argues.

The screen baddie, meanwhile, is confident of teaching the good guy a lesson on the streets. Making his political debut, Chatterjee’s one-point agenda now is to win the people’s trust with his words. “In acting or in politics, my job is to convince people of what I am doing. Though I am known for my negative characters, several people are coming forward to greet me and shake my hand,” he says, stressing his “political consciousness” ? not his screen image ? as his USP.

“The party has nominated me due to my involvement with various organisational activities, not because I am a known face. I have been involved with politics since my youth; I even used to put up posters for the Left.”

And Chatterjee has poll planks aplenty. “Nothing has been done about the water scarcity in the area for 20 years. Also, the road condition, power crisis and drainage problems. Above all, these people haven’t seen their councillor even once in the past five years.”

Either way, in Alipore, this could be a vote for visibility.