In a state that has seen three actors become CM, superstar Rajinikanth’s political entry has come with the weight of expectation.
Naan eppo varuven eppadi varuven-nu yarukkum theriyathu, aana vara vendiya nerathula correct-aa varuven (Nobody knows when I will come, how I will come. But when I have to come, I will be there).
Rajinikanth’s blunt dialogue from the 1996 film Muthu may have also been a foreboding warning to his political rivals in 2020. After all, not many may have seen superstar Rajinikanth’s entry into politics coming, with just six months to the Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. But in a state that has seen three actors become top ministers, where film and politics are deeply intertwined, the political entry of superstar Rajinikanth has come with the weight of expectations.
Rajini’s arrival on the Tamil Nadu political scene has been compared to the three-time Chief Minister and founder of AIADMK, MG Ramachandran, who translated his large following into votes, ultimately catapulting him to power in 1977. And while Rajini, like MGR, is an icon in Tamil Nadu, is the comparison justified?
“Any actor who enters public life will always be compared to MGR because MGR sets records and those comparisons are inevitable,” says R Kannan, author of MGR: A Life. For Kannan, the comparisons are valid as both Rajini and MGR have reached the pinnacle of fame, are a god to their fans and as outsiders (Rajini was born into a Marathi family in Bengaluru while MGR was born into a Malayali family in Sri Lanka ) Tamil Nadu has been good to them.
But he acknowledges that the context has changed. “MGR was an actor and a politician. He had a public career on his mind and heart from the beginning. And that paid big dividends, “explains Kannan, noting that the former Chief Minister cultivated his image through film. “MGR had built a solid image for himself as a benefactor. He never played any anti-hero role. Rajinikanth has played a host of roles, both good and bad, and has smoked in movies, making a name for himself by the way he throws a cigarette. Drink in movies. These are things that MGR never did. But the context has completely changed. You don’t need an image anymore. That’s where Rajinikanth becomes important, because Rajinikanth has what MGR has to a certain extent, which is charisma. “
But unlike MGR, whose political career spanned decades and included stints like the MLC and MLA before he floated into AIADMK in 1972, Rajinikanth is a political rookie.
Vaasanthi, veteran journalist and author of Amma: Jayalalithaa’s journey from movie star to political queen and Karunanidhi: the definitive biographyHe says, “MGR was already a politician when he was becoming a big star. He was a member of DMK. He first joined Congress and then joined the DMK, and he was deeply involved. He was prepared for a political future. None of that happened to Rajinikanth. ”
He also points out the differences in the operation of the MGR and Rajini fan clubs. “The MGR fans formed the clubs because they were their fans, but they were also part of their political ideology. They became part of the DMK party, and they were also their fans. They started working during the election campaign and booth management from 1962. So they were well versed in it. It wasn’t just his idolaters. Rajinikanth became a phenomenon. But then he was not considered a political leader from the beginning. Film life and MGR politics went hand in hand. There was no dichotomy at all, ”says Vaasanthi.
But more importantly, unlike MGR, who remained in the Chief Minister’s chair until his death in 1987, Rajinikanth shows reluctance to want to head the state. “I never wanted to be a Chief Minister. In fact, I can’t even think about sitting in the Assembly and going through those procedures! I will be the head of the party, and the CM will be someone who is educated, forward-thinking.” . It will be a person who can rule. And the head of the party will be like an opposition leader – we will be the first to question if something bad happens. We will not interfere with the government – there will not be two parallel powers centers, ”he had said in March.
Perhaps it is for this reason that Rajini ignores any comparison with the leader of AIADMK. “MGR was a revolutionary. Not in a thousand years can there be another MGR. If someone says he will be the next MGR, he is crazy. But I am confident that I can give the popular government that MGR gave to Tamil Nadu.” the superstar had said in March 2018.
And while the MGR comparison may sound far-fetched to some, others say Rajini’s political entry is similar to that of Telugu star NT Rama Rao in 1982, who launched the Telugu Desam Party with nine months to go to the Andhra elections. “No one knew NTR like a man who had ever said anything about public service or public events in the country (before launching his party),” says Kannan.
NTR took the political step following the public humiliation of the then leader of Congress, Rajiv Gandhi, against Andhra’s chief minister, T Anjaiah. His tone of Telugu pride and self-esteem won the hearts of the people, as the TDP defeated Congress in the 1983 Assembly elections.
Kingshuk Nag, journalist and author of Telangana battlefieldHowever, he says that this comparison is also weak. “The times are different. The only thing is that they are movie actors, but NTR came on the scene because Congress was ruling the state and people were basically looking for an alternative. And he was able to provide that alternative, belonging to the film fraternity, he was able to galvanize the crowds, ”he says, adding that NTR also took advantage of the caste factor in Andhra, by having the Kammas join him.
While Rajini hopes to capitalize on the political vacuum in Tamil Nadu following the disappearance of AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa and DMK’s Karunanidhi, relying on his star value alone is unlikely to lead him to power. Actors like Sivaji Ganesan, Chiranjeevi and Vijayakant bear witness to this.
At the age of 70, Rajinikanth is preparing to play the role of his life. But by arriving late to the political arena, an uphill battle has been imposed to face the Dravidian parties. After all, unlike the life of the reels, the superstar will not be able to get out of the electoral battle.
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