Despite win in local panchayat polls, actor Vijay may find that time for 'filmy heroes' in Tamil Nadu politics is over

Even in Tamil Nadu, a state where politics and films are intertwined, the time for a film personality conquering the political landscape appears to be more or less over. The political mantle, so to speak, has firmly passed onto professional politicians who now run the two Dravidian majors that matter in the state — the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the opposition All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. At a time when superstar Rajinikanth opted out of politics and his contemporary Kamal Haasan is struggling to make his presence felt, chances are that newer filmy entrants may find the going tougher. It is amid such a scenario that youthful actor Vijay, a superstar in his own right and a ‘rebel’ against the establishment, is said to be foraying into the political arena. For the first time, his fan club members contested the recently-held local panchayat ward elections and won many of the seats they contested. His fan club members are making much of this victory — 115 seats out of 169 contested — but the ground reality is that in these polls parties do not contest as entities. People win as individuals and on their strength and this is no reflection of either the popularity or political acceptance of actor Vijay as a politician. Bussy Anand, general secretary, All India Thalapathy Vijay Fans Makkal Iyyam (Vijay Fans’ Club), and a former MLA from Puducherry from Bussy constituency, told Firstpost, “Thalapathy is very happy with our performance in polls and asked those who won and even those who lost to work hard for the people.” Asked what next, this 57-years-young general secretary of the youthful ‘movement’ for the people said like a true politician in a high-command run structure, “that is the decision Thalapathy has to take.” But for the fans of Thalapathi (Commander), as Vijay’s fans revere him, these elections were just the beginning. “The fact that he allowed his posters and flag to be used, is an indication of his keenness. Our people won because of the tremendous groundwork the fan clubs have done for the welfare of the people on the ground,” said R Ravikumar, 29, a mobile shop owner in Kancheepuram and a die-hard fan of actor Vijay and member of the All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyakkam. “We are only testing waters now, and whether to start a political party going forward is a decision that Thalapathi has to take. We will of course be overjoyed as he will do good for the people,” Ravi Kumar said and added: “Whether in government or outside the government, Thalapathi is always for the people. They (people) have faith in Vijay.” However, Vijay has been very ambivalent on his entry into politics and even had a legal fight against his own father S A Chandrasekhar and mother Shobha. Vijay had moved the court for restraining his father from using his name for any political purposes. It must be mentioned here for the record that actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan’s party, Makkal Neethi Maiyam, failed to win any seats, which indicates the relative popularity of actor Vijay. But, winning a handful of seats in rural ward elections is no indication of the political clout or absence of it, said analysts on this ‘claimed victory’. “The claim also cannot be verified, as we have only the fan club’s word for it. Moreover, the panchayat president and village panchayat ward members are elected on a non-party basis. So difficult to confirm and accept this claim,” said a political analyst who did not like to read much into the development. Besides, the fan club contested (as per its claim) only a handful of seats 169 out of 27,000 seats. Prof Ramu Manivannan, Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, is convinced that this was nothing but a blip and that too something that should not be taken seriously. “It is not as if a grassroots revolution is happening,” he said while explaining the victory of Vijay Fan club members. These polls are individual-based and not party-based, and people win on their own strength. At a time when even the biggest film stars, like the biggest of them all, Rajinikanth too read the ground reality and shied away from entering electoral politics, it may be a bigger ask for Vijay at this stage. To be successful in politics takes a lot as it is a full-time job. Years and years of toil on the ground is a necessary condition, which at present no film star seems to be doing. There is a shining example of a super flop political foray by a film celebrity like Chiranjeevi in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, an equally film-crazed state that made superstar NT Rama Rao an overnight political hero, for ready reference. Even Vijay, according to Prof Manivannan, makes some political noises to grab attention and dons the real-life role of a ‘safe rebel’ against any establishment, that gets him the support of youth that is rebellious in nature. “If not anything, this fan club victory would make the DMK mark him out in the cine field,” Prof Manivannan said, adding that in the overall analysis it might not be a terribly good thing for the actor. But, Vijay himself has during Assembly polls hinted support to the DMK by cycling to his booth on voting day on a bicycle with DMK bi-colour. Incidentally, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin is referred to as Thalapathi by his countless admirers and followers in the party. Has Vijay taken the ward elections route to enter politics? “His fans may think so, but in reality, these elections count for nothing. The real test will be for him to start a political party and contest the elections that matter. But that is an entirely different ball game,” Prof Manivannan added. A film critic who did not want to be named quipped, Vijay could cite his ‘popularity’ and his fan club strength to hike his fees for films. The writer is a senior journalist tracking social, economic, and political changes across the country, especially Tamil Nadu. He was associated with Press Trust of India, The Hindu, Sunday Observer, and Hindustan Times. The views expressed are personal.