KOCHI: K K Shailaja, the LDF candidate in Vadakara, appears on Premalu’s poster, Shashi Tharoor, the UDF candidate in Thiruvananthapuram, gangs up with Manjummel Boys, while his NDA rival rocks it in an Avesham poster…
Film posters, book covers and cinematic dialogue memes are the latest mediums used by the social media wings of the political parties and their agencies in the state to attract voters.
This trend of adding a dash of creativity to election posters probably started in 1984, when campaign material of Suresh Kurup, the Left candidate in Kottayam, were made by film poster designer S Rajendran. It saw the CPM deviating from its norm of using only the party symbol on posters, and featured Suresh’s photo.
That trend has evolved, and we now have vibrant ‘vibe’ posters aimed at wooing netizens. “Visual appeal is important,” says Ram Mohan Palliyath, writer and public relations expert. “Creative designs help grab the attention of young voters.”
Writer Laser Shine agrees, adding that the popularity of the creative content can help popularise the candidates. “The story and characters of these films and books are imprinted in the minds of the people. These posters aim to imprint the names and images of the candidates, too, in the minds of the voters,” he says.
Candidates have also been using slogans inspired by popular film dialogues — such as ‘Kollathinte Premalu’ and ‘Teacherum pillerum double strong aanu’.