Rajinikanth in Thoothukudi: The reel Kaala versus the real Rajini

It was a day of embarrassment for the actor-turning-wannabe politician, Rajinikanth. The superstar who went to Thoothukudi to meet the injured and families of the victims, would not have expected his statements on protests and the anti-social elements would land him in trouble.

Everything began well for the superstar when he landed in Thoothukudi. Several hundreds of Rajini fans and members of his organisation Rajini Makkal Mandram were seen waiting at the Thoothukudi airport in Vagaikulam, despite the police presence. Slogans rent the air, calling him “next CM of the state”, “Thalaiva” and “people's leader.” Clad in a sandalwood-coloured kurta, the superstar looked energetic as he landed at the airport. The superstar waved at the crowd as a convoy of cars followed his open car. Red carpets were rolled out for him at a private resort on the outskirts of Thoothukudi where a handful of men, women and relatives of the injured and the victims were gathered by the Mandram members to help them get compensation from the superstar.

But Rajinikanth, within minutes, left the resort to meet the injured at the government hospital. He was followed by several vehicles and his fans, but they were stopped before the collector’s office and only Rajinikanth’s vehicle was let in by the police. Rajinikanth then went to the government hospital to meet the injured, where he was mobbed by excited fans. However, Rajinikanth was embarrassed when he was confronted by a young injured man. K. Santhosh Raj, a 21-year-old BCom graduate from Pandraampatti in Thoothukudi, snubbed Rajinikanth when he asked the superstar, “Who are you?” and “Where have you come from?” Raj is one of the organisers of the protest, who formed the All College Students Federation, which played an active role in the anti-Sterlite protests that began from Kumareddiapuram village. In fact, this is not the first time Raj had confronted a visitor. He and his mother were the two who pulled up minister Kadambur Raju when he visited them last week.

The superstar, who was happy till then with the reception given by the people, was stunned for a second and said, “I am Rajinikanth. I come from Chennai.” And, within minutes, Rajinikanth left the hospital. His press conference venue was changed from the hospital entrance to the private resort.

Addressing the media there, he said, “The anti-social elements should be crushed with an iron hand like late chief minister Jayalalithaa did. The protest carried blood stains on it only after anti-social elements infiltrated the agitation.”

And at 1.40pm, when the kith and kin of the victims were waiting to receive the solatium from him, Rajinikanth, reportedly, chose to leave for the airport and the cheques were handed over by his Mandram officials. It was announced that families of the victims would be given Rs 2 lakh each and the injured will be given Rs 10,000. At least eight families of the victims were brought to the resort, but they weren’t allowed to meet the actor and but the office-bearers of the fans association finally met them. In fact, police sources said the crowd that arrived to receive Rajinikanth were brought in by the Mandram members from the nearby districts of Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari.

Later in the day, after returning from Thoothukudi, at the Chennai airport, Rajinikanth lost his cool when he was asked who the anti-social elements were. “If you protest against anything and everything, Tamil Nadu will turn into a graveyard. There were anti-social elements in the Thoothukudi protests which is the reason for the riots. They attacked the policemen in uniform. This is wrong,” he said.

The irony is that Rajinikanth, thanks to his earlier Kabali and his upcoming Kaala, is looked upon as the messiah of the oppressed and the saviour of the downtrodden. Interestingly, the trailer of Kaala begins with a voice saying “poraduvom, poraduvom” meaning “we will protest”. Further into the trailer, there are scenes where Rajinikanth as Kaala, who hails from Tirunelveli, speaks up for the oppressed Tamils in Bombay.

Also, his comment that “these protests will affect the industrial climate of the state” has irked the people of Thoothukudi. “Why should he come to meet us? Did we call him? Where was he when we protested?” Santhosh Raj asked.

Rajinikanth’s comments began trending on social media and he was criticised for saying that anti-social elements infiltrated the peoples protest in Thoothukudi. Said senior journalist R. Ramasubramanian: “Once again it is proved that his understanding of issues, especially those concerning the people in the lower strata of the society is basically wrong. It seems he is in a hurry to react to such situations. And he has failed there, too.

“His counterpart Kamal Haasan, who is also an actor, had visited the people injured in the Thoothukudi clashes, along with a few political party leaders. The police filed FIR against all of them, including Kamal Haasan. But Rajini visited and returned. I am really surprised that instead of condemning the high handedness of the police, why is he condemning the protesters. Basically, he should have reacted to the action not to the reaction. The action is the 100-day struggle of the people which was crushed by the police,” Ramasubramanian said.