A smiling Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan (80) walks through the lawns of Cliff House, his official residence in Thiruvananthapuram, appearing relaxed. The camera follows him and actor Mohanlal in slow, composed frames, capturing his easy laughter and their informal exchange on films and music. The teaser is in sharp contrast to the chief minister’s stern public persona. He is not alone. Other ministers too are following the advice of political consultants and opting for image makeovers.

Observers have been quick to draw parallels with actor Akshay Kumar’s much discussed interview some years ago with prime minister Narendra Modi. One particular question on mangoes turned out to be the ‘highlight’ of that conversation. Pinarayi’s interaction with Mohanlal is being seen as an attempt to humanise a powerful political figure through soft conversation rather than hard questioning. The shift from ideology and ground-level politics to promoting the persona of the chief minister is striking because no ‘communist’ chief minister has done it before, and certainly not Pinarayi.

The timing is significant. Assembly elections are approaching. Across the state, the political atmosphere already carries the feel of an early campaign. Large hoardings featuring only Vijayan’s image and highlighting government achievements have appeared in prominent public spaces.

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Public transport buses carry his photograph, turning daily commutes into a platform for political messaging.

Sponsored programmes resembling advertorials appear on private television channels, presenting governance narratives in polished formats that blur the line between information and promotion. Taken together, these developments have reinforced the perception that Kerala is witnessing an unusually strong projection of a single leader, a style more commonly associated with national-level campaigns.

Critics argue that this is a marked departure from the political culture of the left in Kerala, which always emphasised collective leadership and party identity over individual projection. The emphasis onVijayan’s image, they say, resembles a leader-focused model that has defined Narendra Modi’s political communication strategy at the national level. Joseph C. Mathew, political observer and former adviser to late chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan, is sceptical about the effectiveness of the latest media exercise. “I don’t think this interview will bring any significant political gain. It seems to be the result of advice from his think tank. The CM might be feeling that such small-talk formats appeal to family audiences and could help cultivate a more pleasant image of him among them,” he said.

His remarks reflect a wider concern among analysts who believe that while image-building may soften public perception, it may not necessarily influence electoral choices in a politically aware state like Kerala.

The interview teaser is only one part of a broader communication push. Opposition leaders allege that crores of rupees are being spent on publicity campaigns designed to reinforce a positive narrative around the CM’s leadership.

They point to government surveys intended to evaluate performance in which party workers are reportedly involved, raising questions about the blurring boundary between administrative evaluation and political mobilisation. Ministers too have increasingly appeared in celebrity-style interviews and softer media formats, suggesting a coordinated shift away from an ideological debate towards personality-driven storytelling.

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Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan has criticised the trend, arguing that the chief minister rarely faces spontaneous questioning in open forums and that carefully controlled formats cannot be a substitute for genuine accountability. For the opposition, the concern is not simply about one interview but about the emergence of a single-leader narrative in a state that has historically resisted personality cults.

Activist Sreedhar Radhakrishnan has voiced similar unease, arguing that the growing emphasis on individual projection sits uneasily with communist political traditions. “This is not the communist way,” he says, suggesting that the increasing focus on image risks overshadowing collective politics and ideological engagement. His criticism reflects anxieties among sections of civil society that Kerala’s political culture is gradually moving towards spectacle driven communication.

The debate around symbolic decisions, such as the shift from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, has further intensified these arguments. Supporters describe the change as a linguistic correction rooted in cultural identity. Critics, however, see it as part of a broader pattern in which symbolic gestures reinforce political narratives at moments of electoral significance. In their view, identity symbolism, large-scale publicity and leader-centric messaging come together in a coherent strategy aimed at shaping perceptions before elections.

Supporters of the government dismiss these criticisms. They argue that communicating achievements to the public is a legitimate function of governance and that modern media requires visual storytelling. Yet even neutral observers acknowledge that the style of political communication in Kerala is changing. The comparison with Modi’s style emerges not because the politics are identical but because the methods of storytelling have begun to converge across party lines. In an age dominated by visual media, projecting a relatable leader has become central to electoral strategy.

Whether this approach will succeed remains uncertain. For now, the larger question is whether this is merely a communication experiment or evidence of a deeper transformation in Kerala’s political culture? The answer may become clear only when people vote again.

© National Herald