Speaking truth to power is a great concept. This has absolute relevance at a time when the gap between the rulers and the ruled is growing bigger by the day. An economic imbalance is also coming about with the benefits of State action shifting to corrupt politicians so alarmingly that the have-nots are being left far behind while handy fortunes are being made by the rulers. The world of privilege is being further sweetened by the easy access to graft, to the point where the economic and political damage is irreversible.
It has taken a personality out of the world of movies to bring this out to the people. That by itself is not surprising in a state where politics is intertwined irrevocably with cinema. What is new is the crusader is Kamal Haasan, who seems to have responded to Hollywood's call for showbiz personalities to tell the truth and wake up the masses. He is probably only following a trend or reacting to the prompt by Hollywood liberals. However, it is also true that the depth of feeling with which he is speaking up points to an inner urge to do this openly in the hope of doing public good.
Kamal may be positioning himself more as a social thought leader.
In Kamal's case, such a change of heart to speak up on public issues may have come about in the same Tamil Nadu leadership vacuum that has inspired Rajini to at least actively consider entering politics. One would, however, assume that Kamal's motive is not so political, at least not of the hard core variety that the Superstar is contemplating.
Certain temperament is needed for politics. and he may have too sharp a temper to be a successful neta.
Kamal may be positioning himself more as a social thought leader. Certain temperament is needed for politics. and he may have too sharp a temper to be a successful neta.
When it comes to politics and cinema, the more the merrier principle applies to Tamil Nadu. But then it is blindingly obvious that some of them have a readymade base in their fan clubs, which means at least the basics exist for the plunge, if or when it comes. Some like Sivaji Ganesan were tempted too, but without having the kind of magnetic appeal that certain actors commanded. Kamal may be more in the Sivaji mould - first and foremost an actor.
The fringe rightist group challenging him on his role in the Big Boss reality show brought out the rage in him and Kamal swung into the argument with gusto. There is a limit to sensitivity but the way this peculiar Indian 'offendedness' is being taken to extremes, sometimes in silliest fashion as in this particular issue. In many of its parts, a reality show too is from the world of make-believe, though where it may all lead to is anybody's guess. Ask Donald Trump who not so long ago was in charge of just a reality show.
This agitation against 'Big Boss' may be based on a false sense of outrage. The age of the social media is not to blame for this bit of rightist populism. There was huge support for Kamal when it came to opposing the HMK. He may have tended to take off from there, which is why he is in the eye of the storm now as politicos slam him, using their standard defence of 'proof'. What use is 'proof' when it takes 21 years to put anyone in prison for graft?
At the height of his career Kamal may never have had the time to utter a political word. When the dispensation was somewhat different in Tamil Nadu, Kamal never had a chance to speak up because film politics was such in the state. There could be no event without repercussions in the business of films. Remember the problems Viswaroopam ran into ahead of its release. And Kamal was not the only one who was occasionally affected by the play of politics. Actor Vijay who hinted now and then of political ambitions would also be delivered messages whose import he could not miss.
The play of politics is still there as we saw in officialdom not being keen on a proposal from prominent Mumbai patrons that Rajini inaugurate the table tennis professional league that is on in the city. It is simpler to imagine Rajini being in the MGR mould as the people's champion, capable of the 'Nalai namadhe' kind of bugle call. He is bound to be seen as an opponent of the future. The organisers were dissuaded from inviting him as the venue is government-owned and chess champion Viswanathan Anand did the honours so that there would be no controversy to it. In a sense, the filmy dance of politics never stops in Tamil Nadu where everything is films or politics or a mixture of both.
