Actor tries his luck at poll, to contest from Velachery

Chennai: After having shared screen space with top actors in the Tamil film industry for nearly three decades, actor Raja Krishnamoorthy aka Kitty, is now making the transition into politics as he gears up to contest the Velachery assembly constituency.

The Kottivakkam resident, who was on Sunday spotted distributing flyers to visitors at the Valmiki Nagar beach in Thiruvanmiyur along with his family, friends and volunteers, is contesting as an independent candidate. Having started his campaigning from April 6, he said that he is keen on “directly meeting” at least 25,000 voters from his constituency en route his campaign trail as he believes ‘engagement’ to be a key aspect in ensuring successful governance.

Asked about the decision to contest the polls, Kitty said that it was time for a representative action. “Tamil Nadu is at its lowest nadir from a political context. Falsehood has become the living culture of our politicians because all he/she is ever interested in, once voted into power, is the next by-polls,” he said.

“The average voter has been taken on a perpetual ride for quite some time. Let us not allow the political class to brand the common man as a joker anymore,” he added.

The actor, refusing to be drawn into the conversation of whether facial recognition would help him garner votes, said that it was his social activism work that led him into politics. “I had been a part of the India Against Corruption movement since 2011 which supported Anna Hazare’s struggles. In fact, I was offered a chance to contest the South Chennai MP seat by the Aam Aadmi Party in 2014 but I declined,” he said.

“But my hopes do not hinge on myself having a recognisable face because in the last 10 years, I have come to know people more as a social activist than as an actor,” he added.

Does he fancy his chances as an independent? “The most important thing is that the voice has to be heard because sometimes the journey itself can be the destination. My commitment is towards that. I wish to be able to inspire more of our youth to take the plunge into politics,” he said.

While acknowledging that money does play a decisive factor in turning results in one’s favour, he said that only through engagement of the voters can the practice be overturned by candidates who mean well to society.

Has he received endorsement from any of the legends that he has shared screen space with over the years? “I have not thought of it (talking to them) yet. But their blessings will make a difference,” he concludes. Kitty has set up a website   www.voiceofvelachery.com for voters interested to know more about his campaign.