Volodymyr Zelensky, unlike most other political leaders, had little to no idea and may have never dreamed of becoming a politician until a “Servant of the People comedy series” that began in 2015 paved the path for his political ambition.
Volodymyr Zelensky starred in the television comedy series “Servant of the People,” about just a schoolteacher whose speech regarding corruption and politics goes viral on YouTube and drives him to the presidency of Ukraine.
As strange as it may appear, it happens that a well-played comedy series gained the hearts of serious-minded regular individuals willing to forgo the clown character in the series and turn the joke into reality.
After being persuaded to run for President of Ukraine, Zelensky called his political party “Servant of the People” after his television show.
According to reliable reports, the election that brought Zelensky to power was largely fueled by the people of Ukraine’s belief that the comedian could make a positive difference in the lives of ordinary people and put an end to corruption in the country, as he has done in his Servant of the People comedy series.
The New York Times released a summary on opinion surveys in Ukraine prior to the 2019 election that elected Volodymyr Zelensky as President of Ukraine. The polls were overwhelmingly in favor of Mr. Zelensky, a comedian and actor.
Nobody knew much about Zelensky until Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a military operation in Ukraine, a decision that pitted the Russian President against the comedian.
The comedy series, however, is now widely recognized as one of the most remarkable examples of life mimicking art.
Servant of the People Comedy Series Review
Volodymyr Zelensky plays Vasily Petrovich Holoborodko (I imagine a fairly proletarian name), a down-on-his-luck biking schoolteacher still living with his mother, father, and niece and fed up with the way the country is run.
He goes on a rage one day about ineffective politicians who “steal and steal and steal.” They’re destroying the country and no one seems to care.
“Politicians are mathematicians — the only thing they understand is how to divide, add, and multiply their fortunes.”
says Petrovich Holoborodko the school teacher.
One of the students covertly records his eloquent, passionate, sweary speech on his smartphone and uploads it to the internet, where it quickly goes viral. His class decides to crowdfund a presidential election nomination, and he pitches himself to the public via YouTube and other media.
Much to his surprise, after Holoborodko wins the election, his predecessor, a self-described old-school “wolf-politician,” refuses to believe that he won fairly and squarely and begins to try to entice him into the usual corrupt ways – the motorcade, queue jumping, bribery, and scripted press conferences.
In Conclusion
Of course, when the conflict between Zelensky and Putin reaches new heights, we are all familiar with him as the inspirational, brave Churchillian leader of courageous Ukraine.
It’s fascinating to see how and where things began, as well as where they’re going, yet it’s impossible to believe a humorous drama would end up this way. The entire world is watching and hoping for a peaceful resolution.
