Songs, short films turn weapons for poll battle

HYDERABAD: Song, dance, theatrics and short films...electioneering in the GHMC limits was never this lively. Apart from the major political parties bringing out new compositions extolling the virtues of its leaders, candidates themselves have composed songs this election season.
For the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao released a set of songs composed by well-known film writer Vandemataram Srinivasa Rao.A veteran in coming up with revolutionary songs, Srinivasa Rao, in fact, has composed songs for different parties.
Exclusively designed vehicles fitted with loudspeakers blaring out these songs are being driven into each and every lane in the city. Political parties have also roped in cultural troupes dancing to drum beats and singing songs in the Telangana dialect.
The TDP has also forayed into short films to garner votes. Titled "Yuddhaniki Balayalu Dherina Veedudu" (The warrior has started for war), the one-minute film has an intro that translates to, "It's like getting into a war zone! Find out where." A man clad in a lungi is shown like he is going for a battle with a steel pot on his shoulder. But he goes to the street and is confronted by a large number of women waiting to fill drinking water. The film on drinking water woes in the city (Mahanagaramlo manchineeti kashtalu) also has a 'hero' - visuals show a Nara Rohit promising an election rally that the water woes would be solved in six months if they come to power.
Another short film, "Niranthara Yuddham", lasting 1 minute 13 seconds, shows children as future Sainas and Sanias. Only, they are fighting a battle with mosquitoes! "If they could not fight mosquitoes in 20 months, what can they achieve in five years?" the short film poses, obviously to the TRS.
The TRS too has come up with its own 74 seconds long film, in which an elderly woman expresses happiness about the Rs 1,000 pension she gets now as against the Rs 200 she used to receive under the previous government.