The phenomenon of movie personalities entering politics is firmly associated with neighbouring Tamil Nadu but Kerala isn't immune to it. Kerala saw the first winner from the cine field in an assembly election back in 1965. However, the victorious candidate never actually became an MLA.
That was because no party or alliance was able to get a majority in the polls that year. The assembly was thus dissolved before any of the members could take oath and the state came under President's Rule until the next polls in 1967.
In the 1965 polls, 67 seats were needed for a majority. While the CPM won 40, the Congress won 36. The split in the state Congress cost the party dearly as the Kerala Congress, which had broken away a year earlier, won 26 seats.
The movie personality was from none of these parties, but an independent. His best known film would be released the following year.
Yes, we're talking of director Ramu Kariat of Chemmeen fame. He had already directed five films by 1965, starting with Neelakuyil in 1954 which he co-directed with P Bhaskaran. But it was Chemmeen, which won the National Award for Best Feature Film, that brought him national acclaim.
Kariat had won from the Nattika assembly constituency. Since he was familiar with the area, he also filmed Chemmeen at the Nattika beach.
He never contested again but other members of the film fraternity have followed in his footsteps. In fact, the current Kerala assembly has four film personalities.
That includes the Minister of Transport KB Ganesh Kumar of the Kerala Congress (B) who has appeared in over 100 Malayalam films. The party was founded by his father R Balakrishna Pillai who became the youngest MLA in Kerala at the age of 25 in 1960. Balakrishna Pillai also appeared in two films but that was much later -- in 1979 (Vedikkettu) and 1980 (Ival Oru Naadody).
Ganesh Kumar has won five times on the trot from Pathanapuram from 2001, with his party being part of the UDF on the first three occasions and subsequently the LDF, giving him the rare distinction of being a minister in both the Oommen Chandy and Pinarayi Vijayan governments.
Then there is Mukesh who won on a CPM ticket from Kollam in both 2016 and 2021. The actor has appeared in over 275 films including Godfather, Mannar Mathai Speaking and Oru CBI Diary Kurippu.
Actor-producer-director Mani Kappan, who won the bypoll from Pala in 2019 after the death of 13-time winner KM Mani, retained the seat in 2021 when he defeated Mani's son Jose K Mani. Mani Kappan had lost to KM Mani three consecutive times in Pala before finally tasting victory.
Rounding off the quartet is playback singer Daleema who won on a CPM ticket from Aroor in 2021.