Will reel-life stars really influence polls?

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As poll fever gripped the nation and the media, Bollywood was no exception.
Never in the past had stars shown so much interest in politics to the extent
of joining one party or the other and campaigning for it. The BJP which had
earlier nominated `Dream Girl' Hema Malini to the Rajya Sabha crowed in
triumph when she finally joined the party and promised to campaign for the
Prime Minister and other BJP stalwarts. The current levels of opportunism in
the star influx into politics was in sharp contrast to the dedication,
loyalty and hard work put in by an earlier generation of film stars. Sunil
Dutt and his late wife, Nargis belonged to the Congress and as per the
wishes of Jawaharlal Nehru were the first to entertain Indian troops
stationed in the remote areas along the border.

Abroad in Hollywood, stars like Gregory Peck, Paul Newman and Marlon Brando,
were influenced by ideology to lend support mainly to Democratic Party
presidents. They opposed Cold War politics, the arms race and solution to
international issues through war and violence. They never sought power or
position. But one of them, who was a flop actor, managed to reach the White
House. That was Ronald Reagan.

Source:
http://www.samachar.com/features/100304-features.html