By Arpana
New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS) His career as a politician may have taken an unexpected turn with his expulsion from the Samajwadi Party, but Amar Singh says he has a lot on his plate right now, including a couple of movies. In one of these films, his character is sympathetic to the cause of Maoists.

“Politics has not been a career for me. I have other things to do to keep myself busy in life,” Amar Singh told IANS in an interview.

After having introduced many actors to politics, Amar Singh is now slowly foraying into their world. The high profile former Samajwadi Party leader has donned a character in Dev Anand’s “Chargesheet”. Coming up after that is a Bengali and a Malayalam films.

“‘Chargesheet’ is complete. Now I will be doing another movie. It is a Malayalam movie, which will start some time in March,” Singh told IANS in an interview here.

He will feature “Sesh Sanghat”, a production venture by his friend Jaya Prada who was expelled from the Samajwadi Party along with him, as an ex-minister.

The film is in Bengali and Singh will be seen supporting the tribal movement by helping a police officer, played by Jackie Shroff. Jaya Prada plays the female lead in the film which has National Award winning director Ashok Vishwanathan at the helm.

“My Bengali movie is against land grabbing and is sympathetic to the cause of Naxalites,” Singh told IANS.

Singh will be seen as a musician in the Malayalam film “Bombay Mittayi”, which is being produced by U. Pradeep and directed by Ummer Karikkad, both journalists-turned-filmmakers.

“Bombay Mittayi” takes a humorous look at youths who become pawns in the business of superstition. It also stars actor-dancer Neelambari Perumal along with Vinu Mohan, Telugu actor Venkatesh, Bollywood actress Dimple Kapadia and comedians Jagathy Sreekumar and Harisree Asokan.

Singh’s camaraderie with Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is well-known. When asked if he would like to be seen with him in movies too, Singh said: “We are seen all the time.

“We are very much on the video footage and personal footage; so that craving is not there. I would like that he keeps my place in his heart and I am able to keep his love and affection in my heart. That is more important than to be seen together in a frame.

“At times people are seen together in frames, but they don’t exist in each other’s hearts. Being together in a frame is a very, very ordinary thing. But being together in the frame of life is more important,” he said.

So will he be more active in movies now?

“I am already active in films. Whether you know or not, I am the vice chairman of ABCL (AB Corp) of which Mr. Bachchan is chairman. And I consider Mr. Bachchan as my elder brother and I consider Abhishek my son, Aishwarya my daughter-in-law and Jayaji my sister-in-law.”

(Arpana can be contacted at arpana.s@ians.in)