Viral images of actor Kichha Sudeep with Congress leader DK Shivakumar has driven speculation that the actor may join politics ahead of the Karnataka election later this year.
DK Shivakumar, the Congress' Karnataka chief, visited the Kannada actor at his home in Bengaluru. Photos of the meeting have been widely shared.
Whether they discussed a political debut for Kiccha Sudeep has not been confirmed by the actor or DK Shivakumar, who has been campaigning for the Karnataka polls.
The Congress has also not commented, though sources tell NDTV it may have just been a courtesy call by Mr Shivakumar.
The Congress leader likely invited Kiccha Sudeep to be a star campaigner, sources said.
The party is making an aggressive bid to regain power in Karnataka after its coalition government with the Janata Dal Secular collapsed in a BJP coup in 2019.
Kiccha Sudeep is one of the most popular actors in the Kannada film industry. He started acting in films in 1997.
The Kannada superstar made headlines last year as he sparred on social media with Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, who said Hindi is India's national language.
In August, the actor's move to correct a journalist's pronunciation of "Kannada" sparked a debate.
"You pronounce Tamil correctly, Telugu correctly, but when it comes to Kannada, you say Kannad. You call it Hindi, not Hind, the same way, it's Kannada, not Kannad," Kiccha Sudeep told the journalist.
Featured Video Of The Day
"Should Be Done Once": Ajit Pawar To NDTV On Caste Census
Congress To Begin 'Delhi Nyay Yatra' Today Against AAP Government's Policies Congress Has Lost Its Moorings, No Debate About That: Jyotiraditya Scindia 'Trump Proved Age Isn't A Factor': Trinamool Leader Amid Retirement Debate Trump's Immigration Curbs To Impact Millions Of Indians, Their Children Video: Jimmy Kimmel Chokes Up During TV Show Monologue About Trump Win Trump Asks Musk To Join Call With Zelensky In Big Hint At His Possible Role Trump Asks Musk To Join Call With Zelensky In Big Hint At His Possible Role US Judge Pauses Trump 2020 Election Case After His Big Victory Allahbad High Court Declares 2004 "Wedding" Of Minors "Void" Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.