As Arnold Schwarzenegger embarks on his new career, he could do well to study a bit of Indian politics where more film stars strut the political space, than perhaps anywhere else.

And this is no surprise as the American equivalent of Hollywood is Bollywood, that employs more than 2.5 million people, churning out more than 800 films every year compared to Hollywood’s 200.

If Arnold were to model himself on someone from India, there are plenty of examples to follow.

The majority of stars and starlets make their most politically potent presence before any elections, as politicians of every hue woo them to draw the crowds. They turn up due to political affiliations; others as personal favors and some are reported to charge money, like any stage show. However, the story goes beyond just mass appeal, and one would assume that Arnold is also looking further.

He could study the current union government that boasts of two superstars of yesteryears. Their stint has not been as spectacular as their thespian careers

Arnold could stick to look dashing like Vinod Khanna, the minister of state for external affairs. Khanna limits himself to handsome photo-ops at glitzy diplomatic events; there are reports that suggest that he has been asked to keep his mouth shut on more vexed matters such as India-Pakistan diplomacy.

Or he could take a leaf out of Shatrughan Sinha, the union minister of shipping and spend his time on sequels of the Terminator series. Sinha did not have a very happy innings in the critical role of Health minister. He was shunted to the not as vital shipping ministry, after being blamed (by the media) to be too busy in theatre to take care of the country’s abysmal health care facilities.

Sinha and Khanna are just the tip of the army of actors and actresses who have tried to embark on the difficult world of Indian politics.

Arnold could also go the way Amitabh Bachchan did. The biggest superstar of Hindi films had a short and unsuccessful stint, making it to the Indian Parliament, before retreating to the familiar world of acting. ``Politics was a mistake,’’ says a wizened Bachchan now, till recently saddled by numerous litigations, several at the instigation of his political opponents.

Or Arnold could play God himself, a step-up from the robot series. For this, he could study Indian state politics where two film stars rose to the helm as chief ministers. The two southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu had their biggest pin-ups N T Rama Rao and M G Ramachandran (popularly referred as MGR), a non-muscular version of Arnold who fought with a woman in one arm and sword in another, occupy the political canvas in 70s and 80s.

NTR and MGR buttressed their screen image to further their political ends. NTR played God in several of his movies, produced at his own studios and built temples for people to worship him. MGR too portrayed the role of the savior of Tamil pride whenever his political stakes were down. The tactic worked.

Arnold could also learn that in politics, the spicier the better. The current chief minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalaitha was the top actress of her time. She was also the mistress of MGR and fought a bitter political battle of legacy with MGR’s widow, who was chief minister for a short while, before taking over.

For further micro studies Arnold could look at the political history of several other stars --- Shabana Azmi, Dilip Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Vyajantimala Bali, Raj Babbar….

Due to their large presence, there is also plenty of literature that delves into the role of film stars in politics. Arnold could study these as well. The earlier criticism was that when people vote for stars, they do so for style rather than substance, form not matter, image rather than reality.

However, the debate has evolved. The Indian electorate has come to realize that it is the person who delivers that matters. The mantle of NTRs party has been taken over by his technocrat son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu who dreams of turning his state into a Singapore and the hub of India’s Information Technology boom. Jayalitha was voted back to power not because of her star-status, but due to the ineptitude of the previous government as well as her reputation as an iron-fisted leader. Mr Shatrughan Sinha now diligently attends his Shipping ministry while Khanna continues to be mum until he does his homework well.

Actors are professionals, who have the right to stand for elections, like anybody else, but need to perform or be shunted out. They have the advantage of an initial draw, but that’s about it. Arnold took on the Predator, played the Terminator, might have been Hercules, but perhaps it is his role as the caring and sensitive family man in the comedy Jingle Bells, that will require to be at the fore, to be successful governor. That’s the True Lies.