Vijay’s plunge into politics: An actor cannot just dance his way up to power

It is more than curious why actors dream of becoming a chief minister in Tamil Nadu and politicians are unable to keep them away at a distance. The immediate response is the deep inroads made by the cinema industry at different levels into the politics of Tamil Nadu.

A fair reasoning is the strong politicization of the cinema industry almost eight decades ago. The rise of the Dravidian movement in the 1950s and its experiments in political communication had not only expanded the growing interaction between the cinema and politics but also established a popular ground that would inspire, intersect and ultimately suffocate the political development in Tamil Nadu.

The rise of M G Ramachandran (MGR) coincided with the growth of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), not vice versa. C N Annadurai (Anna) and Karunanidhi along with several literary stalwarts including cinema dialogue writers and lyricists contributed to the creation of the MGR phenomenon that would entangle the masses with an image trap.

It was MGR who inspired the successive generations of cinema actors but understandably contributed to the popular culture of politics without ideological commitment by excessive reliance on charisma and populism. In certain ways, MGR was responsible for the decay and erosion of Dravidian ideological orientation due to his own weak political and ideological commitment.

In other ways he also made it appear that charisma and charity would bind people to an ambitious actor who began to plot their public life without any distinction between reel and real life. The latest entrant to this race is Vijay with mediocre acting skills and popular dance beats with strong box-office hits appealing to the B and C market audiences.

The first and foremost question is whether he will be as successful as MGR and Jayalalitha or even come close to Vijayakanth, who made a genuine attempt to strike a political breakthrough by launching his party Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK). Vijay has learnt a lesson or two from the procrastination tactics of Rajnikanth and the narcissist conduct of Kamal Haasan.

In overall terms, the movie stars continued to dream and project themselves as a potential relief from the misdeeds and failures of the political parties and leaders in Tamil Nadu without any evaluation or sincere assessment of the ground realities which have shifted steadily over the decades. The self-obsession and the popular media as a feeder for public opinion kept them in the hunt for publicity and quest for power without a reasonable ground for truth.

The cinema business, indirect financing and money laundering also kept the actors in close communication with the politicians cutting across the political parties. The cutting edge gained by a new entrant like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tamil Nadu politics can help us understand the depth of linkage between cinema and politics.

Though political parties had adopted varied approaches and strategies towards the cinema industry but maintained a close watch on the movements and activities of the popular star actors besides keeping a handle or hammer at the desk.

It is too simplistic to assume that Vijay has managed to breach the cordon and jump into the fray without any push or provocation.

Vijay appears to be an opportunist waiting for the wind without a goal or manifesto. There is a difference between the people who throw themselves to get a glimpse of their favourite star and others who come with a hope and vision that cannot be seen by all. So, Vijay cannot simply dance his way up to power.

(The writer is a scholar-academic-social activist in areas of education, human rights and sustainable development through an initiative called “Multiversity”. Views are personal.)