BANGALORE, April 17: An Indian movie star campaigning in upcoming elections was among four people killed on Saturday when their helicopter crashed after take-off near Bangalore, police said.

Soundarya, 32, a leading light in Telugu-language cinema who has starred in more than 85 films, was travelling to the adjoining Andhra Pradesh state when the helicopter crashed, a police spokesman said.

The privately owned four-seater Cessna helicopter caught fire minutes after takeoff from Jakkur airstrip on the outskirts of Bangalore, the spokesman said. The bodies were charred beyond recognition.

Blackened debris and twisted metal was strewn across the ground. Investigations were under way to determine what started the fire.

Soundarya had recently joined Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which is vying for another term in general elections starting on Tuesday.

The BJP and other parties have been roping in cinema stars in hopes that glitzy celebrities will win votes in India, which produces more films than any other country.-APP