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Lakshmi Subramanian
Lakshmi Subramanian

NEWSMAKER

Teaser goes viral

70-Rajinikanth Testing the waters: A fan meets Rajinikanth at the event in Chennai.

Rajinikanth might find it difficult to replicate the success of MGR and Jayalalithaa in politics

When Rajinikanth sneezes politics, Tamil Nadu catches a cold! The Tamil superstar has recently been toying with the idea of entering politics, a vocation many of his fellow actors have embraced. And, in the past week, the “will he, won’t he” aspect has played out in countless memes on social media. Politicians in the state have welcomed him, censured him and even ridiculed him. All this for dropping a hint on joining politics.

It was May 15. Rajinikanth, clad in a black kurta pyjama, was meeting fans at the Raghavendra wedding hall at Kodambakkam in Chennai. There were chants of thalaivaa (leader) as he greeted them with folded hands. “If it is God’s will, I will enter politics,” he said, as the audience erupted.

It was a five-day meet-and-greet, which saw more than 3,000 members from about 40,000 of his fan clubs. Rajinikanth, meeting his fans in person after nine years, obliged them with individual selfies. Behind him, on stage, was a picture that had a white, blossoming lotus. The reference to the BJP was hard to miss. But, he stayed noncommittal on joining politics, as he had done on previous occasions throughout his career.

“This is the right time for him to get into politics,” said J. Ramki, a fan and author, who wrote a book on Rajinikanth called Rajini: Sapthama? Sagapthama?. “All these years, J. Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi were in the fray. If he had come in [then], he would have been a fringe or third player only. There is a vacuum now.”

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Of late, the BJP has been wooing Rajinikanth. Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on Rajinikanth in 2014, BJP leaders in the state have supported his inclusion. The latest to do so was Union Minister of State Pon Radhakrishnan, who gave him an open invitation. “We don’t see Rajinikanth as the only face of the BJP. But, if he wants to join the BJP, we welcome him. He will be an additional strength,” said state BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan.

The timing of Rajinikanth’s meet-and-greet raised some eyebrows. He usually talks publicly ahead of a movie release, but his next, Shankar’s 2.0 (the sequel to Robot), has been postponed to January 2018. “[The meet] was only to drop a hint, test the waters and study the mood of the people,” said Krishnan Ramachandran, an AIADMK member. “And, it was held only because of pressure from the BJP. I don’t think he will make such a statement on his own. He cannot be an MGR [M.G. Ramachandran] or Jayalalithaa. MGR never played the role of a thug. He was always the hero of the masses and Amma followed in his footsteps.”

Sources, however, said the BJP leadership feels that a Rajinikanth-led BJP, or perhaps an alliance with a party he floats, would make rivals nervous. Apparently, the BJP is calculating how much his fan base could add to its numbers. The party currently does not have any seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

Among BJP workers, there is a buzz that the team of Modi, Rajinikanth and former chief minister O. Panneerselvam could give them a strong foothold in the state. The weak link could be Panneerselvam, whose political future is uncertain, especially as his rival faction, led by Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, has been consolidating over the past few weeks.

If he does choose to take the plunge, Rajinikanth would have some hurdles. Unlike MGR or Jayalalithaa, he would be entering politics late. He is 66. “He is clearly aging. Also, he is not a man who will work from the grassroots level to rise to the top,” said Krishnan. Moreover, he has, over the years, avoided speaking about people or social issues. In 2015, when there were allegations of forgery and cheating against his wife, Latha, he did not talk about it. The same year, when his film Lingaa tanked at the box office, distributors sat on a fast in front of his house. He reportedly settled their losses. In politics, however, compensating losses would not be that easy.

Earlier this year, when the youth of Tamil Nadu came out in support of jallikattu, and several celebrities gave their two pennies on the issue, Rajinikanth only issued a press release. “It is his fans who want him to come into politics and not the people of the state,” said Sellur K. Raju, cooperation minister.

It seems as if, apart from his fans, people don’t look at Rajinikanth as a political figure. The BJP has its eyes on his massive, structured fan base, but most of his fans are over 40. For the youth of Tamil Nadu, it is all about actors like Ajith and Vijay. Also, it is not easy to convert the fan base into votes. MGR did so successfully, but Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam founder Vijayakanth could not do so, at least not as well. The Captain is now just a fringe player.

Rajinikanth might have set the screen on fire with his punchy dialogues, but it is yet to be seen whether he can do so from a podium. In Dravidian politics, natural charisma, and the ability to speak and sway the public matter a lot. “It’s a completely different ball game,” said Latha Srinivasan, senior journalist and film critic. “People are looking for Rajinikanth to come in only because there is a vacuum. But, they want someone with the stature of an MGR or a Karunanidhi, who can unite people.”

Rajinikanth would also find it difficult to build a strong cadre base from scratch. He has had no political ideology. MGR, for instance, was strongly wedded to the Dravidian movement and Jayalalithaa found success with an anti-DMK, anti-Karunanidhi plank. Rajinikanth might seem like the man to fill the political vacuum, and perhaps disgruntled elements across parties might line up behind him. But, with all the hesitation, his entry into politics might be further delayed.

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