“So many cameras on one person?” exclaimed an old man as media personnel crowded around a small MG Comet that made its way into the sandy compound of the Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Tripunithura, one of Ernakulam’s many polling booths that opened at 7 am this morning on voting day.

Exiting the electric vehicle to a tidal wave of cameras was Ramesh Pisharody, the Palakkad candidate of the United Democratic Front. Only a few minutes had passed since current Thripunithura MLA K Babu made his own entrance, kicking off dust clouds from under the wheels of a white Toyota Innova.

Both politicians soon met with each other outside the booth, in line with everyone else, to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Pisharody fit right in.

With no entourage or even family members, the UDF candidate casually interacted with BLOs, bystanders and the media, cementing his friendly-neighbourhood image. But speaking to Onmanorama, the actor-turned-politician was ready for a little vulnerability, recalling his experience as a first-time candidate.

“What upset me about politics was the enmity and its intensity. That was difficult to deal with,” he shared.

Stepping into the arena for the Kerala assembly elections, this was Pisharody’s first bout in a political battle of this scale.
“I had my convictions about politics,” he said. “This wasn’t a quick in-and-out for me; I knew the amount of work I had to put in for this; I came into this with that knowledge.”

A long-time Congress supporter, the comedian hit headlines in March when he was named the UDF candidate for the Palakkad contest, against BJP’s Sobha Surendran and LDF-backed independent candidate N M R Razak.

In a heated battle, Pisharody faced allegations of making ‘anti-women’ remarks and his aim for entering politics was questioned by rivals. His team even faced a blockade by BJP workers during one of their campaign runs.

Perhaps these and other incidents compelled him to reveal what was most upsetting about entering the political arena. Being attacked despite not insulting others proved a difficult and seemingly confusing experience for the first-time candidate.

“On one hand, people give you a lot of love, which you enjoy. On the other hand, you face resentment, even when you think you stand with the people and haven’t said or done anything wrong,” he said.

“You end up feeling like that at times, but that’s just the way it is,” he added, seeming to quickly accept the side-effects of the game he has now entered.

But does the politics of cinema help in his new venture?
“That’s merely competition, not politics,” he shares. “Actors don’t criticise another film during one of their promotions, right?”
For Pisharody, those in the film industry reserve their attacks to the digital space, avoiding direct hits. “Here’s it’s direct,” the candidate says about politics.

While recent developments inched the UDF candidate a little closer to Palakkad’s MLA seat, an assured spot is still uncertain. The future of Pisharody’s political career will only be decided on counting day.