16 Bollywood celebrities who turned politicians

New Delhi: A switch from the film industry to one that continuously keeps the buzz going in our lives has been big. This shift from scripting roles on screen to life in public service has been marked by Bollywood celebrities in large numbers.The list is long, but has people went on to play a prominent role in Indian politics after having made a mark in the film and television industries. We have omitted names of Nargis Dutt and Sunil Dutt who are no longer with us.Here is the list of some prominent Bollywood celebs-turned-politicians:1. Angoorlata Deka: An Assamese actress-turned-politician, Angoorlata Deka had joined the BJP in December 2015. She defeated Congress candidate and ruling MLA Goutam Bora from Batadroba constituency, a minority dominated seat, by a margin of close to 6,000 votes. Angoorlata has worked in many Bengali and Assamese movies like Jonda Iman Gunda and Bakor Putek. With her performance in the film Sonar Kharu Nelage Moke, Angoorlata made an impact on Assamese cinemagoers and crtitics. For past eight years, she has been one of the most popular actresses of Assam.With a passion for dance, Angoorlata always dreamt of mastering Kathak. 2. Shabana Azmi: Her ageless beauty has done miracles in Indian cinema. Her roles in parallel cinema have left a mark. Not only has her choice of movies been commendable, her performances in movies like `Fire' and `Makdee' have also won her awards. She has entertained viewers to the fullest and she has also received National Award for best actress five times.Her tireless activism on social issues like AIDS and improvement of slums led her way to Rajya Sabha in 1997. Her benevolent work towards the betterment of the society has gained her popularity amongst Indians. Unlike many politicians, she holds a better place in their hearts.3. Jaya Bachchan: The multi-talented actress who delivered roles like Kusum and Vasudha in movies Guddi and Chupke Chupke has won numerous awards and praises. Her performances have been outstanding and she has been a part of some timeless films like Kabhi Kabhi, Uphaar and Abhimaan.After a long career in the Bollywood industry, she shifted her focus to social service and joined politics. She spent a good amount of time with the Samajwadi Party and later made her way to Rajya Sabha. She has been active on social issues. Her reaction on the Delhi gangrape case in Rajya Sabha gave goosebumps to every Indian.She has been a decent politicians all through her tenure.4. Shatrughan Sinha: He created a whole new image for villains in Bollywood. He has delivered some remarkable performances in movies like Paras, Dost and Kala Pathar and bagged many Filmfare awards.Not just Bollywood, he been successful in politics too. He entered politics after defeating actor Shekhar Suman from Bihar and later became the Health and Family Welfare minister in Vajpayee's government. He also went on to hold the portfolio of the Ministry of Shipping. In May 2006, he was also heads BJP's Culture and Art wing.5. Govinda: He re-defined the comedy style for Indian cinema. He was a successful actor of 90s. But after a few misses in Bollywood, his career saw a downfall and treating this as an opportunity, he entered politics to serve the nation. He joined Indian National Congress to give a start to his career. He served as an MP for five years, 2004-2009. Although he was not able to leave a trail in politics, he is considered in the good books of people of his constituency. Govinda has bid goodbye to politics6. Jayalalithaa Jayaram: Once the south-Indian super star, she lured audience with her outstanding performances. She joined politics and then there was no looking back for her. A protege of the founder of AIADMK, M. G. Ramachandran, Jayalalitha is now the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and supremo of AIADMK. She also is considered as one of the most powerful female politicians of India. Her performance in these elections has left critics stumped. This is the first time in three decades that Tamil Nadu re-elected the ruling party back to power.7. Dharmendra: He is a legendary Bollywood actor who has given cult status to characters like Veeru in Sholay. He had a very successful career in bollywood. He has been full of zeal and enthusiasm which he also showed in his political journey. He joined BJP and became an MP from Bikaner constituency. He was able to gain the same fame as an actor in politics as well.8. Chiranjeevi: The Telegu cinema actor had a huge fan-following which guaranteed him success in politics. His fan-following as an actor was easily convertible into votebanks. He formed the Praja Rajyam Party which later became the largest party in Andhra's State Assembly elections. He became one of the favorite politicians among the Andhraites.9. Amitabh Bachchan: This legendary actor who became an epitome of success joined politics for a short period of time. He entered politics to support his family friend Rajiv Gandhi. He stood from Allahabad seat in the 8th Lok Sabha elections against former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh H. N. Bahuguna. He won by a large margin, but he soon realized that politics was not his cup of tea and resigned after 3 years. Amar Singh, his close friend, stood in his support during his financial crisis. Bachchan started supporting Amar Singh's Samajwadi Party. His wife, Jaya Bacchan also joined Samajwadi Party and later became a Rajya Sabha member.10. Jaya Prada: A famous actress in Bollywood, she also made a remarkable appearance in politics. She joined TDP on N T Rama Rao's invitation and became successful in a short span of time. Although she was offered a seat to contest elections, she preferred to stay back and campaign. In 1994, she campaigned vigorously during the elections. After sometime, she had some differences with party head Chandra Babu Naidu, and left TDP. She became a member of Samajwadi Party and stood from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur constituency in 2004 and 2009. She won with a good margin of votes.11. Rajesh Khanna: The deceased versatile actor entered politics too. He ws elected to Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket from New Delhi constituency from 1992 to 1996. While in politics he refused to take up any movies. After he quit Congres, he served as an activist for the party and became a vital part of Congress's campaigning during 2012 Punjab elections.12. Shekhar Suman: He contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Bihar, but was defeated by BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha. After a short stint, he quit Congress.13. Hema Malini: Known as ‘Dream girl’ of Bollywood, Hema Malia has been one of the most amazing actresses the industry has ever had. She ruled Bollywood when she was at her prime and brought a breath of fresh air to parliament when she took oath as member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house.Hema made her entry in politics after she did an election campaign for actor Vinod Khanna in Lok Sabha Elections of 1999.The BJP led NDA govt nominated her to Rajya Sabha in 2003 and in 2004 she formally joined the BJP. She has been an active and prominent member of the party and has campaigned rigorously for the party in various elections. She was once again elected to Rajya Sabha on a BJP ticket from Karnataka in 2011. Hema defeated the Mathura incumbent, Jayant Chaudhary (RLD) in 2014 general elections by 3,30,743 votes.14. Kiron Kher: Kiron Kher joined the Bhartiya Janata Party in 2009 and campaigned for the party in across the country during the elections, including in Chandigarh for the 2011 municipal corporation elections. BJP declared her as the Lok Sabha candidate from Chandigarh for General Elections, 2014.In May 2014, she won the seat with 1,91,362 votes, defeating sitting MP, Congress leader Pawan Bansal.15. Raj Babbar: Raj Babbar entered politics in 1989 after he joined V.P Singh’s Janata Dal. He later joined Samajwadi Party and was elected as MP thrice. From 1994 to 1999 he was a member of Rajya Sabha. He was re-elected in the 14th Lok Sabha elections for the second term in 2004. Raj Babbar joined Indian National Congress in 2008 and became the MP for the fourth time after defeating Dimple Yadav. In 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Ghaziabad and lost to General V K Singh.16. Vinod Khanna: Vinod Khanna entered politics after joining BJP in 1997. He was elected from Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab in the next year's Lok Sabha poll. Khanna was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency.In July 2002, he became union minister for culture and tourism. Six months later, he was moved to the more important ministry of external affairs (MEA) as Minister of State. In 2004 he won re-election from Gurdaspur. However, Khanna lost out in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll. In 2014 general election he is again elected for 16th Loksabaha from Gurdaspur constituency.

16 Bollywood celebrities who turned politicians

New Delhi: A switch from the film industry to an industry which continuously keeps creating buzz in our lives i.e. politics, has been a big one. This shift has been undertaken by Bollywood celebrities in

Top News

In new video, PM Modi announces Nandan Nilekani-led 'high-powered task force' for exam reforms

Cabinet expansion in Karnataka? CM Shivakumar's Delhi visit fuels speculations

Mirabai Chanu clinches gold medal in 48kg weightlifting at Commonwealth Games 2026

France likely to respond to India's 114 Rafale jet Letter of Request by mid-August: Report