Youngsters must be more politically aware than ever before: Andrea Jeremiah

"Vishwaroopam 2" actress Andrea Jeremiah, who feels the film is very relevant in the present socio-political situation of the nation, says the youth of the country should have more political awareness.

The spy thriller, released earlier this month, addresses some political conflicts.

Asked if she is politically aware as a citizen, Andrea told IANS here: "I believe that this is the time when we youngsters should be more aware of politics than ever before because we have to keep our country in good hands. When I was a youngster, I and people like us who are educated and progressive-minded, did not take interest in politics.

"But then I realised that half of the parliament is being run by politicians with criminal records... Is it a country administered by criminals then? Whom are we choosing as our representatives? Are they really educated enough to build our country as a progressive nation? If not, we are in a dangerous position."

The global political turmoil is ruining the value of human minds.

According to Andrea, "this has happened in the last 10 years because educated people like you and I are not politically aware and neither do we take interest in politics."

The first part of "Vishwaroopam" released in 2013, and the political context of the story had faced some controversy. However, Andrea believes that the Kamal Hassan-starrer film holds much more relevance in current time.

"The politics of religion has been played out so largely now. The story has a real-world connection with the present political climate of our country, so I think this could be a food of thought for many people," said the Tamil film actress.

"When I am talking about politics, it is not about reading a book, theories on policies but awareness on what is our right as a citizen of a democratic country. The loss of human life in the name of politics and religion, rape of young girls and demonetisation.

"In the last few years, we have seen so much and as one of the young countries, this is the time we must become aware before practising our democratic right of voting a political leader," the actress added.

Written and directed by Kamal, "Vishwaroopam 2" was distributed in Hindi by Reliance Entertainment.

--IANS

aru/rb/sed