Anticlimactic Decision Reel Hero turns Real Hero

 It was the end of a terrible year. Hope was high in the air when the protagonist said he shall soon lead from the front. Thousands of followers waited with bated breath for his grand announcement. Thalaiva did make an announcement. Not what everybody expected him to make but quite the contrary.

Film Stars in politics

Superstar Rajinikanth, affectionately called Thalaiva, a veteran film actor and philanthropist, has been making news in Tamil politics for last five years. Rajini’s followers have been waiting for him to enter active politics since many years. It is not uncommon to Indian actors to move to politics at a later stage of their career. Tamil Nadu, in particular, has seen notable film stars turning mass leaders throughout its political history. M G Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, Jayalalitha are some of the popular leaders from the state that had a previous career in film industry. Andhra Pradesh, is also, not unfamiliar with this trend. N T Rama Rao, a veteran film star of Telugu film industry, has made it big in politics with numerous reforms attached to his persona. Currently, Pawan Kalyan, another notable film star, is actively involved in Andhra Pradesh state politics and is expected to stand the ground for next assembly elections. There are many other notable examples like Hema Malini, Jaya Bacchan, Smriti Irani, Jaya Pradha, Jaya Sudha, Shabana Azmi among female artists that made it to politics.

Rajini’s Journey towards Politics

 Rajini’s journey towards politics is assessed to have begun from as early as 1996 with his famous statement, “If Jayalalithaa is voted back to power even god cannot save Tamil Nadu”. In the year 2002 he planned to start a movement on Cauvery issue. At that time, he said he does not seem himself as a political leader. In the year 2004, he confirmed his inclination towards BJP-AIADMK coalition citing commitment to interlinking of rivers as the reason behind his inclination. In the year 2014, Narendra Modi visited Rajini before Lok Sabha elections. It was later announced that there was nothing political in the visit. Speculations rose towards Rajini’s entry into politics under BJP at that point. The then chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha’s sudden demise created a vacuum of leadership in Tamil Nadu. During this period, Rajini was highly expected to tackle the leadership crisis. BJP is said to have tried its best to get the actor join its party. To address the expectations, the actor conducted a fans meet in the year 2017 and announced his interest to enter politics. On the last day of the year, he made an announcement that he is ready for the “Battle” and shall soon launch a party to contest in 2021 Assembly elections. Rajini’s fans associations soon converged into Rajini Makkal Mandram to act as his party base. In 2019, he backed away from contesting in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He refrained Rajini Makkal Mandram from giving support to any political party.

An Anticlimactic Decision

On December 3, 2020 Rajini made a public announcement to his fans to get ready for the launch of his political party. He asked them to get ready for the ‘battle’ as soon as he gave the ‘war cry’. This announcement created great enthusiasm among Rajini followers across the state. Speculations rose about BJP’s possible role in pushing the actor to launch a political party. Rajini’s statement of ‘spiritual politics’ added rage to the fire. Politicians from either Dravidan parties are rumoured to be considering a shift to the new party. While preparations were in full swing for the launch of the party, the actor got admitted in hospital with serious health condition in the last week of December, 2020. Following his hospitalisation, two days before the much awaited date, Rajini announced his withdrawal from politics. He said it pains him to announce that he might not be able to contest elections after all.

Rajini stated COVID-19 as the reason behind his decision. The actor had been shooting in Hyderabad when he got hospitalised with high blood pressure in the last week of December, 2020. He referred to a medical advice by doctors to stay away from pressure keeping in view his health condition. He said he cannot make false promises and make scapegoats of his followers by not being an active politician after launching a party. The actor also said he cannot rely on vaccine as he is already being treated with immunosuppressant drugs. A last minute withdrawal by the actor plunged soaring hopes of his followers into deep sea of sorrow. However, in a twist in the story, Rajini’s decision is assessed to have multiplied his popularity among his followers contrary to popular assumption that it might slightly stain his charisma.  

Reel Hero turns Real Hero

As a popular saying goes, “When intentions are good, result shall always turn out to be good”. Rajini’s decision to withdraw from active politics after almost three decades of wishful expectations might have given a great blow to his charisma, had it not been to the reason behind his withdrawal. Rajini began his statement with his recent film that got delayed due to sudden change in his health condition. He said many people lost their jobs due to the unexpected turn of events and that pains him dearly. Rajini’s concern for the lost jobs of film crew while he is hospitalised with critical illness shows his empathetic ideology even in times of trouble. He said he went against medical advice while starting the film shoot and this illness is a warning from God to stay put. Rajani compared the loss on sets to the loss that might incur on political field. His concern for his followers who might have to suffer mentally and financially if he had to back out after launching the party makes him a leader and not just an upcoming politician. Rajini’s decision to completely withdraw from politics is assessed to be a well-thought out and well foreseen one, though deeply regretted by him as well as his followers. His intention not to make scapegoats of his followers by making false promises of entering full time politics and then handing over the baton to someone else made him a real hero from a reel hero. With this deeply-painful decision Rajini might have shed his political persona but he shall definitely continue to be the mass leader that he had been for years and Rajini’s say shall continue to sway the political winds in the state.

With the third force retiring before hitting the shore an eerie calm took over the state. If this silence is going to make way for a greater storm or shall leave the breeze to rustle as usual is for time to tell.