Chennai, July 13 (BPNS)
With Tamil Nadu buzz with speculation of an imminent entry of Super star Vijay in the political scenario of the state, it was clear that politics of Tamil Nadu has always been closely related to the state film industry.
MG Ramachandran or MGR has been one of the largest icons of Tamil film industry with back to back hits and had a godly image on the screen. It was the shrewd script writer of Tamil film industry, M. Karunanidhi who had referred MGR to the stalwart of Dravidian politics, CN Annadurai.
There was no looking back for MGR and was a major moving force in DMK and later he fell out with his political mentor, M. Karunanidhi and floated his own political outfit, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam( AIADMK) and became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu trouncing the DMK in the 1977 elections. He had steered AIADMK to victory in the 1980 and 1984 assembly polls and continued to be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu till his death in 1987. It is to be noted that MGR was the first movie star to become Chief Minister of a state in India.
M. Karunanidhi, the DMK leader was one of the major script writers of Tamil filmdom and was the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for five terms. He became the Chief Minister of the state between 1969-71, 1971-76, 1989-91, 1996-2001 and 2011- 16.
Jayalalithaa was a popular heroine of Tamil movie industry and was a major pair of MGR on screen. Judging her popularity, MGR brought her to AIADMK and later on became the leader of the party after the demise of MGR. She became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 1995 for the first time and she held office for six terms as Chief Minister till she passed away on December 5, 2016.
The vacuum created by the deaths of Jayalalithaa and Karuanidhi is big in Tamil Nadu and Vijay is aiming to fill it given his popularity among youngsters as well as the support base of his fans club, Thalapathi Vijay Makkal Iyyakam (TVMI).
Even though the people of Tamil Nadu accepted stars like MGR and Jayalalithaa and a scriptwriter like Karunanidhi to lead them, it was not so rosy for actors turned politicians like the late Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Vijayakanth, Sharath Kumar and Seeman.
While Kamal Haasan, Vijayakanth and Seeman are active with Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), and Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) respectively, they are not able to make a major mark in Tamil politics.
With the Tamil film industry’s top star, Rajinikanth backing out from politics after almost announcing his entry, the stage is clear for Vijay for a grandiose entry into Tamil politics. It is clear and certain that Vijay will get a rousing reception from the people of Tamil Nadu in the first election he faces, but it has to be seen whether he will be consistent enough in the murky world of politics which is not entirely what is depicted in movies.
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