Chennai: Overcoming his Hamletian dilemma, Superstar Rajinikanth has finally decided to take the political plunge, triggering hopes of a possible realignment of forces and giving rise to an expectation in certain quarters that he would replicate the MGR phenomenon.
For, he is a mass hero like MGR with a huge fan following. But, can the movie Moghul accomplish this feat by capitalising on his celluloid charisma?
Ever since MGR who split the DMK to launch the AIADMK in 1972, it is not unusual for film stars to continue to entertain dreams of making it big in politics.
But, only late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who was the hugely popular lead pair of MGR in films, could taste success.
Even thespian Sivaji Ganesan, who broke ranks with the Congress and ploughed a lonely furrow, was a colossal failure.
Now, Rajinikanth too has joined the ranks while his fellow traveller in movies, Kamal Hassan, has already floated his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and contested the LS polls. And, 'Thalaivar' is keeping his date with politics on New Year eve, when he would announce the party.
With Rajinikanth's arrival, comparison with MGR is also popping up much to the chagrin of the AIADMK.
AIADMK ministers and party functionaries could never countenance a comparison with their party's founder, who was treated like a demi-god. As such, they dismiss such notions with derision. Even the DMK, the AIADMK's rival, is not amused at this.
RSS ideologue and 'Thuglak' editor S Gurumurthy was the very first to claim that Rajinikanth's political entry will create an impact akin to that of MGR. In his opinion, the actor's appeal extends far beyond his filmy charisma.
“Rajinikanth is not seen by the people as a mere actor, but as one who is honest, well-intentioned and who is above caste. He is looked upon as one who could usher in change and bring an alternative,” he says.
“Given the present political vacuum in the absence of Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi, the change that he brings will be momentous. He will more than fill the vacuum. Like the two colossus, he is a leader in his own right who extends beyond party boundaries,” he maintains adding that the actor would be the fulcrum for nationalist forces.
However, the opinion is divided on Rajinikanth and many are skeptical about his impact. For many scholars like the late MSS Pandian engaged with Dravidian politics, MGR was a phenomenon.
MGR was not merely a political personality but a film star and political at the same time, writes Pandian in his book, 'The Image Trap'.
In the view of P Ramajayam, Tamil Nadu Coordinator of Lokniti, Rajinikanth doesn't have anyone to own up his campaign, unlike Chiranjeevi who had the Kapus or even actor Vijayakanth who had the support of the Naidus.
“MGR had enlisted the support of the Thevars, a dominant OBC community in South Tamil Nadu when he launched the party. Then, he cultivated the Gounders, another OBC community in the West, which is not the case with Rajinikanth,” he reasons.
While filmdom helped MGR to acquire a larger than life persona, R Thirunavukkarasu, teaching Sociology at the University of Hyderabad, argues that the actor had deftly used that for his political career early on.
“A mass hero, MGR was the public face of the DMK. Further, he was elected an MLA and DMK treasurer before he broke ranks with the party. Politics was in his blood. As such a comparison is wrong and odious. On the contrary, Rajinikanth is not only untested but represents a non-modern political culture at variance with the trajectory that the state has come through. He has not understood the liberal democratic ethos of Tamil Nadu politics,” he explains adding that the superstar is neither the rallying point against anti-incumbency or the harbinger of an alternative.
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