What Rajinikanth, the outsider, joining politics means for Tamil Nadu
Superstar Rajinikanth was born on December 12, 1950. The actor is known for the Rasika (fan) jamborees he organises and, since 1996, it has been predicted that “this” may be the year in which he would take the plunge into the “murky world of politics” — as demanded of him by millions of his fans.
It finally happened on December 31, 2017 — a Margazhi Sunday (in the month that Lord Krishna called his own in the Bhagvad Gita, whose teachings Rajini grew up on). He has bitten the bullet and proclaimed, “Naan Arasiyalukku Varuvathu Urithi (My entering poliics is certain).”
The actor said he would form a new party and contest the 2019 general elections. It has truly set the cat among the pigeons in Tamil Nadu, for when Basha says it but once, it is meant to have been uttered a hundred times.
Naturally, his decision has occupied the mind and media space like no other.
It was in 1996 that Thalaivar was widely perceived to enter politics — and straight into the electoral fray — in the wake of the vulgar and ostentatious display of wealth at the wedding of the then chief minister Jayalalithaa’s “adopted” son VN Sudhakaran the year before (Sasikala’s nephew, who is now serving a jail term along with his aunt at Karnataka’s Parapana prison).
And when he said famously, “If Tamilians were to re-elect Jaya, even God cannot save TN,” it became the political refrain for the Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, allied with the dissenting GK Moopanar from the Congress to form the Tamil Manila Congress. And when the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, went with Jaya against the run of play, it truly cooked the goose of the alliance.
If only Boss had taken the “reins” on offer — with or without a party — egged on by an ebullient Cho Ramsamy, he surely would have trumped both Dravidian outfits and probably ushered in the mystical “Kamarajar Rule” in Tamil Nadu.
Alas, Rajini was hesitant, as he was all of 45 years old, in the pink of his health and at the peak of his celluloid graph. He was unwilling to take chances as he felt “politics was not clean enough for simple good men”.
It was felt that Rajini left his beloved Tamilians in the lurch when it was the most opportunistic clime and, therefore, may never enter the political arena. Thalaivar may well have become chief minister in 1996, for it was his for the asking. He did not ask and only Maaveeran knows why he did not.
However, even after 1996, not so frequently, he was seen making loaded and politically sensitive statements — and come the anniversary of Cho’s Thuklaq, on the auspicious Pongal Day, he was a sure shot first-bencher, raising comments in the deliberations, on whether Rajini Sir, will adorn the political make-up.
And on the demise of an ailing Cho Ramasamy, within a few days of Jaya’s departure to meet the maker, it was felt that with no “mentor and coach” to guide him through the “guttural world of TN politics (as Cho put it)”, Rajini may have called it quits, withholding any lingering aspirations.
Belying all such predictions, for Thalaivar, who has towered above the rest of the cast in even the cinema world, it would have been a case of stooping low to become a professional politician. Rajini has been different. Though his reel life was devoid of a political bent sans a quip or two – in real life, he was always seen caring for the “masses”, keen on “public service”, at least as a spokesperson with iconic status and impact.
The superstar was noted for his punch lines in every film. They were “written” for him, to align with his style. Even the announcement of his films enthused fans and, come release, they grew hysterical. With social media platforms thriving, Rajini was the pole star held in awe.
But when he spoke in public, and not very often, he did not mouth “written dialogues” but spoke straight from his heart. He never cared for his “image” – for his screen persona was a far cry from his ordinary looks.
In fact, it surprised and shocked his peers in Kollywood and Bollywood, too ( Amitabh Bachan, no less, once quipped: “How could Rajini go around with a bald pate, when even on my balcony I cannot risk being seen without being ‘touched’ up to protect my image. He is the true superstar”).
Yet, on screen, when he morphed into the “artificial” from the “natural”, it was a seamless one, with little impact on the box office returns. How could he manage it? Was he superhuman? What was the X factor or the zing that was all his own?
The answer is simple.
At the core, be it a Tamilian or any other Indian, they admired and adored those in “position and power” more, if they were “true to themselves and never had airs about them”. Rajini mastered it as an art form to be his natural self, a near strategy, if not from a conscience call. That enhanced his image and fans swooned in his presence and “trusted” him. The key to his larger than life presence is the “trust” he leaves in the bosom of his fans or followers.
Truth to tell, no matter the oomph and hoopla over his entry, no one knows what his ideological inclinations are. He can get a “script” written on screen. He would surely know that he can’t do the same in political life. He needs to develop a thick skin, for his “friends” across the political divide will now show their true political colours, calling him names, as they are wont to.
Elections are some time away: May 2019 as per his intended calendar of events. He needs to keep the momentum going; even a week is a long time in politics, and there are no permanent friends or foes.Well, the die is cast. The pronouncement may have triggered a huge “impact”, but can Rajini sustain it to actually make the difference in our lives?
In the wake of the RK Nagar experience, where Lakshmi has triumphed over all other candidates, would the voters write a blank cheque for him? In 1996, a rank outsider is what the voter wanted, to dump the known devils in the political space. But 2018 is different.
Well, Thalaivar is ready to lead. He has always been perceived as sincere for he is known to have spiritual inclinations (he even goes into hibernation in the Himalayas, now and then).
He has proven himself to be exceptional on screen. He is seen as being exceptional in daily life, too, by being a simple man. Therein lies the trust in him. Would it suffice, for he is surely a political novice and starts with a handicap and a mountain to climb?Simon Sinek, optimist, author and speaker says, "Leadership is not position or authority. Leader does not lead. He inspires and promises a dream and lives it to have followers. Followers make the leader and leader needs to have 'courage' and has to have the instinctive trust of his followers."
As a matinee idol, Rajini had the audience at his feet with ready “written scripts”. Can he replicate it in real life? We are in for interesting times. His reel life means little. Does he have “it” in him which his legions of fans have always assumed he had? Is he the man on the white horse that Tamil Nadu has always been looking for?
Also read: Why Rajinikanth's biggest fans are not ready for his political debut