When voters take comedians seriously

It’s time to act – as there is no saying who will actually have the last laugh.

By ET Bureau | Apr 22, 2019, 08.25 AM IST

All those smirking at the political potential of television actors – and also comedians – may not have the last laugh once the result of Ukraine’s presidential election is announced. After all, playing an accidental president in an immensely popular television comedy serial has been deemed by Ukrainians to be enough experience for actor Volodymyr Zelensky to aim for the country’s highest post.

That a paltry 9% of Ukrainians trust the government could have prompted the actor’s surprising candidacy. And as President Donald Trump’s success has already proved that even comics must be taken seriously, the odds could favour the chances of all other unlikely thespians and clowns trying their luck at the hustings. Unless of course, a TV actor contests against a comedian. Then it is anybody’s game; but how many such contests can there be?

Clearly the 1980s sitcoms 'Yes Minister' and 'Yes Prime Minister' were created and aired before their time otherwise Margaret Thatcher (the incumbent PM at the time) may not have been quite so fond of the serial and its hapless protagonist, The Rt Hon Jim Hacker, aka Paul Eddington. Perhaps Zelensky’s example will tempt many more actors of all genres to take a political plunge instead of merely endorsing candidates, also taking a cue from the strong presence of actors in India’s general elections.

Poll-Pourri: Sunny Deol, Urmila & Other Stars Who've Joined Politics

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It's counting day today and all eyes are on the political scoreboard. From seasoned to the newbies, a bunch of stars are trying their luck at the polls today. Actor-producer Sunny Deol, Urmila Matondkar and Gautam Gambhir are hoping to score on their debuts today.

Here are some film stars who have dabbled in politics over the years.