Hyderabad: Chandrababu Naidu and Amitabh Bachchan have signed a deal which could see the actor promoting the Telugu Desam on the social networks, without really attaching his face to the campaign sort of an ‘invisible endorsement’.
Sources claim Naidu and the Bollywood superstar came to an arrangement last week and that another meeting is scheduled in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Naidu has apparently asked the actor to keep “him in mind”, the next time he tweets, or posts on Facebook. Bachchan has lakhs of followers on both the social networking websites and tech-loving Naidu is seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get himself, and his party, a little more spotlight nationwide, especially amongst the youth.
“Naidu and Big B have been in touch over email. The former wants the actor’s ‘blessings’ and he is looking to project himself along similar lines as that of pro-development Narendra Modi. Naidu too wants people to know that he can build cities and safeguard the middle-class, just like Modi. He is also tired of his speeches being hijacked and mocked by KCR and others. He wants a direct line to the country and he feels Big B is the best way to do so,” another source revealed.
It remains unclear if Big B is willing to star in ads for the Telugu Desam as the actor’s relevance in AP, is still being questioned.
“Naidu has new problems to deal with. There’s also the bifurcation issue and the politician’s famed think-tank itself feels bringing in a Bollywood star could severely backfire. But he is very impressed with the ads Bachchan is doing for Gujarat and wants the same for AP, with the TDP in focus. He wants people to talk about him, in the context of development,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the meet between Naidu and Bachchan is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad on Tuesday morning.
“The star was flummoxed by the complicated political ties in the state and preferred a one-on-one meeting. Naidu is eager to seize the opportunity and is hoping to convince the world, and Big B, that he is the one for AP,” revealed the source.
