Cinema has historically functioned as a powerful site of political communication in Asia, where recurring screen narratives shape public understandings of leadership, governance, and social responsibility. While scholarship on screen stars entering politics has largely emphasized celebrity culture, political branding, fan mobilization, and electoral campaigns, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of cinematic narratives in constructing political leadership before formal political participation (Street, 2004). Addressing this gap, this paper investigates how recurring film narratives contribute to the symbolic construction of leadership through a comparative qualitative case study of two purposively selected Asian screen stars who successfully transformed their cinematic identities into political leadership. Employing narrative analysis, visual semiotics, and textual analysis, the study examines selected films released prior to their political entry, focusing on recurring representations of justice, public welfare, moral authority, anti-corruption, sacrifice, and collective identity. It further analyses cinematic techniques including mise-en-scène, dialogue, characterisation, songs, costume, and visual symbolism to understand how leadership is framed as a communicative performance. Guided by Richard Dyer's Star Theory, the study argues that repeated screen representations cultivate enduring leadership personas that may shape political legitimacy by embedding symbolic meanings within public memory (Dyer, 1998). By conceptualising cinema as a sustained medium of political communication, the paper contributes to contemporary debates in media, communication, film studies, and leadership representation within the Asian context.

Authors:
Alice Angel David, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, India
Alice Rufina, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, India

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Alice Angel David
Academic–Industry Leader
CEO at Verus Productions and Professor at Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute
Current project - ROOT (sci-fi feature film) and mentoring four PhD research scholars.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-angel-david-356a6a20

See this presentation on the full schedule – Wednesday Schedule

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