By Swaraj Mishra*, March 23 -- By Swaraj Mishra*

If you are a film enthusiast in love with Odia classics of yesteryears, you would certainly remember Baraju of 'Matira Manisha' (1966), Manoj of 'Arundhati' (1967) or Prakash of 'Kie Kahara' (1968), the characters so beautifully portrayed by the one and only Sarat Pujari, the versatile actor from Sambalpur who has become a household name in Odisha. If one talks about his foray into electoral politics, it may sound a little strange. But it is a fact that he stepped into politics long back in 1971 and contested Assembly Elections from Odisha.

It was the time when the trend of top film stars and film personalities entering politics had just begun in the South. M.G.Ramachandran was elected to...