Chennai: It could be a well-scripted play or shadow boxing by father-son duo, but, it is playing out in the open. Carrying forward his ambition of getting his son and reigning monarch of Tamil filmdom, Vijay, into politics, filmmaker SA Chandrasekar has applied to the Election Commission to register the 'All India Thalapathi Vijay Makkal Iyakkam' (AITVMI). However, the iconic actor with a huge fan following, struck of discordant note, distancing himself from this political project and even warning of action against his name being misused.
The rumour that Vijay might enter politics and that he is testing the waters has been doing the rounds for nearly a decade. Giving credence to that, his recent movies too had a political subtext with politically charged punch dialogues which enthused his fans. There were occasional poster campaigns by them urging him to take the plunge. With elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly only a few months down the line, the actor holding consultations with his fan club functionaries from across the state has fuelled speculation about his political entry. It was at this juncture the visit of SAC to New Delhi sparked off rumours of his joining the BJP. It was close on the heels of actor Kushbu getting inducted into the BJP. However, the purpose turned out to be different. And now it has emerged that SAC was in Delhi for registering the Iyakkam as a political party.
On his return from the national capital, SAC scoffed at reports of his joining the saffron party. "Why should I join BJP? There is no need for that. The rumour was spread by those interested in cashing on me being the father of Vijay. VMI will not merge with the BJP. Instead, it will be converted into a political party at the opportune time," SAC told ETV Bharat then.
As news broke out on Thursday about SAC approaching the EC for registering the outfit as a party, shocked fans and supporters turned hyperactive on Twitter and Facebook. SAC too made it clear that his move did not have his son's approval. “It is my own initiative. Vijay has no role in it. I was the one who launched the Vijay Fans Club which got transformed into Vijay Makkal Iyakkam over the period. Now, I had taken the steps to turn it into a political party. It is up to Vijay to either join it or stay aloof,” was his response to the media.
In a strong rebuttal to his father, Vijay issued a statement distancing himself from his father's political project.
“Today I learnt through the media that my father Mr SA Chandrasekar had started a political party. I categorically inform my fans and the general public that I do not have any direct or indirect association with that. Further, I am in no way bound by his future political activities. As such, I appeal to my fans neither to get involved not associate with the party since it has been launched by my father since it is in no way connected to our Iyakkam,” read his statement. "Further, appropriate action will be taken against those found to misuse either my name or picture or the All India Thalapathi Makkal Iyakkam," he warned.
The tussle between the father-son duo coming into the public sphere had quite surprised analysts since SAC was long seen as the strategist behind Vijay taking the political route.
“It could be either shadow boxing or a real clash of a father attempting to keep his son under his thumb in the sunset years. While SAC might be pushing Vijay, the later might not be willing to bite the political bait at this stage and burn his fingers. However, the fact remains that film stars aspiring to don the political mantle dilutes the political process, especially in Tamil Nadu. Devoid of any ideological moorings, it is nothing but depoliticising politics. As of now, Vijay keeps off from his father's vaulting ambition. But, this might be the full stop,” reasons, Dr C Lakshmanan of Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS).
