From Silver Screen to Political Arena: Chirag Paswan's Remarkable Transition
In an unexpected turn of events, the lead actors of the largely forgotten 2011 Bollywood romantic film Miley Naa Miley Hum have emerged as significant political figures in India's current ruling alliance. While Kangana Ranaut represents Mandi, Himachal Pradesh as a BJP Member of Parliament, her co-star Chirag Paswan has achieved even greater political success as the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries.
The Bollywood Chapter That Never Took Off
Directed by Tanveer Khan, Miley Naa Miley Hum featured Chirag Paswan playing a character named Chirag, an aspiring tennis player who falls in love with a model named Anishka, portrayed by Kangana Ranaut. The film boasted an impressive supporting cast including Kabir Bedi, Poonam Dhillon, Sagarika Ghatge, Neeru Bajwa, Dilip Tahil, and Suresh Menon. However, the movie proved to be a monumental commercial failure, collecting only Rs 97 lakh globally and Rs 77 lakh domestically - failing to even cross the Rs 1 crore mark worldwide.
The Homecoming: Returning to Bihar Roots
While Kangana Ranaut continued her successful film career, Chirag Paswan made the decisive move to leave Mumbai and return to his home state of Bihar. In recent interviews during his campaign, Paswan revealed his motivation for this career shift. "I was working in Mumbai and I was pretty settled there. Had I given a few more years to Bollywood, I would have made a decent name for myself," he told The Indian Express.
The turning point came from his personal observations about how Biharis were treated in other parts of India. "The only reason I came to politics was that I had witnessed from close quarters how Biharis were treated in other parts of the country, how they were humiliated. The name Bihari itself was made into a gaali (cussword)," Paswan explained, highlighting the discrimination that motivated his political entry.
Political Ascendancy and Recent Triumphs
As the son of late Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who passed away in 2020 at age 74, Chirag naturally entered his father's political party, the Lok Janshakti Party. His political journey began when he became an MP from Jamui in 2014, and he currently represents Hajipur in Parliament. After his father's demise, he assumed the party presidency in 2020, though he held the position for less than a year.
Paswan's political career reached new heights when he was appointed as the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries following the National Democratic Alliance's victory in the Lok Sabha Elections. His party's recent performance in the Bihar assembly elections has been particularly impressive, with the Lok Janshakti Party winning 19 out of the 29 seats it contested.
This electoral success mirrors the party's achievement in the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections when it secured all five parliamentary seats it contested. Paswan had previously stated that if the NDA performed well in Bihar state elections, his party would stake claim to the deputy chief minister post.
Throughout his political journey, Chirag Paswan has consistently projected himself as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hanuman, cementing his position within the ruling alliance. Despite initial doubts from political observers and even members of his extended family, Paswan has firmly established himself as a force to reckon with in Bihar politics, proving that his decision to leave Bollywood was indeed the right call for his career trajectory.
