JOIN USTamil Nadu politics is a classic case of creation consummating the creator, with the gradual shift in the role of cinema as being a means to an end. Drama in the early years and later cinema as medium, and the actors as tools, were consciously nurtured and cultivated by the early Dravidian movement with the political script in hand.
CN Annadurai (Anna) and M Karunanidhi were the foremost conductors of this symphony of power, while Periyar took active interest in spreading the ideals of the Dravidian movement through drama and plays. Actors, though many of them enlightened, considered themselves as tools and less than equal -- until MG Ramachandran emerged as the most charismatic actor and ultimately as the dynamo of the DMK. MGR, as charismatic actor, was the making of the Dravidian movement, especially in the hands of Anna.
Karunanidhi not only lifted the burden but also became the victim of image politics when MGR saw himself as more than equal among the ranks of DMK leadership after the passing away of Anna. When he chose to part ways with Karunanidhi, he knew the depths of his popular reach and, as an insider, was deeply aware of the currents and dynamics of the Dravidian movement and its mass idiom.
In the process, MGR generated enormous interest and involvement among other actors, too, in the state's politics. Jayalalitha took the reins of AIADMK despite the attempts of MGR's widow Janaki Ramachandran, who was no match in terms of popular appeal, to step in herself. This is the image trap that the people of Tamil Nadu have fallen into, and the cinema stars without any political depth, too, who believe that after a few movies they can become popular politicians and become an MLA or MP. If this is the normal thought process for an average or mediocre actor in Tamil Nadu, superstars like Vijakanth, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan dream of becoming the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, no less, without any hesitation and serious consideration of the depths of politics.
The entry and sudden surge of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan is all about grabbing power. While Rajini can dance to the tunes of his invisible movers, Kamal wants to write his own script. Rajini thrives on the uncertainty of his own decisions and he can simply walk out of his commitment by blaming it as "destiny's call". Kamal wants to test his inner quest for power with public projection of a need for change. What change are they talking about? They are not addressing the issues that await political engagement by joining the people. They want to be leaders, who appear as mushrooms in monsoon, to fill the power vacuum at an opportune moment.
Neither Rajinikanth nor Kamal Haasan dare join the masses on the issues of survival of farmers, fishermen, small traders, students, marginalised castes, minorities, rural poverty, urban poor, women's struggle, water crisis, etc. Have they spoken or taken any stand about the genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against the Tamils in Sri Lanka? Will Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan stand up and address these issues?
But they both want their fan clubs to anchor and spread their call for change. Merely smelling the decay in the Dravidian parties and mouthing anti-corruption slogans is not an enduring path to alternative politics. The road to transition begins with recognising the problems and issues faced by common people and identifying oneself with them.
There are many myths to MGR's charisma, but he was both an insider to the Dravidian movement and captured the imagination of the people at an historic moment of transition. Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth would do well to understand the MGR phenomenon properly. The present situation is only a power vacuum in party politics. They want to fill this vacuum with the air of their own imagination, without any grounding in politics. They are being carried far and high now, until they run out of gas and the swift currents of political winds dump them aground.
(The writer is Professor & Head, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras)