May join hands with Rajini if ideologies converge: Kamal Haasan

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan on Tuesday said he and his long-time friend in the tinsel town, Rajinikanth, may come together for the betterment of Tamil Nadu by shedding their egos.

However, he had a caveat for them to join hands in politics – ideologies should match. While Kamal Haasan has already hit the campaign trail for the crucial 2021 Assembly polls, Rajinikanth is expected to float his political party in January next year. Both project themselves as change agents in Tamil Nadu that has seen DMK and AIADMK coming to power alternatively since 1967.

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Ever since they announced their intention to take the political plunge, there has been speculation that they might come together. The speculation mounted early this month when Rajinikanth finally said he would announce the date for the launch of his party on the last day of 2020 with the superstar’s aides maintaining that he may not be the chief ministerial candidate.

Well-wishers and common friends of Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have been pushing for an alliance between them. However, neither side has taken any concrete step towards the potential tie-up. Speaking to reporters in Kovilpatti, in Thoothukudi district, Kamal Haasan said both have come to politics for bringing about a change.

"He has not made his ideology and policies clear. We cannot consider what is said as a one-liner as ideology. Let him first spell out his ideology. Then, we will talk. We are good friends and we are just a phone call away. We can talk on the phone whenever we wish. We will help each other if we can,” the actor said.

“If our ideologies match and if it (coming together) helps the people of Tamil Nadu, we are ready to join hands by shedding our egos. I have said this earlier and there is no change in the stand,” he added.

Taking to Twitter, the actor also sought to claim the legacy of late matinee idol M G Ramachandran. “MGR was always a people's man. He was not called a DMK man when he was in the DMK, and an AIADMK man when he founded the party. He belongs to the people. I grew up on his lap. Those who did not even look at MGR’s face, do remember this,” he said. Kamal Haasan also posted a video of MGR kissing him on his forehead while presenting an award in the 1980s.