Nobody can be a replica of anybody.Even Gandhi and Nehru who carried on the Freedom Movement,were marked by their distinct framing of objectives and goals and had occasions to stamp their individuality,in embracing those objectives and goals.Every individual is made up of a solid stuff of their own.It was this unique factor of individuality that made Gandhi a Mahatma and Nehru a popular prime minister.
MGR who shared almost equal popularity with his pet leader Anna,did not share Anna's brand of eloquence and literary quest.But he reached the masses through his own silver screen image of an ever good hero,doing only the right thing on the screen at all times.In due course,his screen image seamlessly got blended with his political image.Jeyalalitha who was partially groomed by MGR and who succeeded him in earning his political mantle,showed more explicit courage than the founder leader of the party but failed in sustaining his undefeatable victory march.Both MGR and Jeyalalitha who ruled the state of Tamil Nadu after ruling the Tamil big screen,were political yields of a long term crop.
Nevertheless,in politics fast food brand is also possible as in the case of the demi God NTR in Andhra Pradesh.But as in the case of fast food,whose taste cannot last long,NTR's regime could not last longer on account of back stabbers rising from his own fold.One cannot say that a fast food kind of political yield is impossible in Tamil Nadu,because Tamil soil which has an extraordinary strength to absorb instant torrents of rain,withstand serial storms and resist resiliently,a notorious pandemic,also has an innate flair,for accommodating changes of all kinds as and when they occur.
As far as politics is concerned ideological moorings have only their back pages.People talk about ideological shifts without any ideology or idea.Similarly statements of leadership vacuum are as void as the vacuum itself.Many thought the ship of AIADMK would collapse after the demise of its mighty woman captain.But the ship has weathered various storms,on account of its internal necessity for survival of tenure and external support,born of political machinations.
There are times when things can happen even in the absence of dynamic leadership,on account of compulsive survival formula perceptions.When Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated many would have thought that the country's navigation would go rudderless.But there was a P.V.Narasimha Rao and a Manmohan Singh who ran the country as efficiently as they could.While the former was known for his administrative acumen the latter is regarded for his personal integrity.But both can not be called vacuum fillers.In fact the status of socalled vacuum is filled up by the developing course of events rather than by individuals.It is the steering that matters and not an individual's charisma.Hence the very thought of leadership vacuum falls by its own emptiness.
Politics and Cinema are not always two sides of the same coin as in the case of MGR and Jeyalalitha,but exist as independent field power determiners.If they are always two sides of the same coin Sivaji Ganesan,Vijayakanth and Kamalahasan should all have tasted the polical success of the other two leaders. Rajinikanth who has attained the superstar status in Tamil Cinema has endeared himself to his widest fan base,through his unique style of acting.Most people love him and blessed he is,in that way.If cinema can be a threshold of politics for all heroes,it could be presumed that people live in a land of illusion,created by frustrations of reality.
Rajini is not MGR in the sense that he has not built up his image as a social revolutionary on the silver screen as MGR effectively did.Besides his singular style and punch dialogues,Rajini has also proved his mettle as a dynamic hero with his characteristic voice vibration and emoting excellence,capable of delivering a charismatic appeal to all sections of the audience.In fact,his hero stuff has travelled in between that of MGR and Sivaji Ganesan.But people admire his screen presence more,than his still pending, real time demonstration of substantial leadership traits.
Even in the case of MGR and Jeyalalitha political struggles preceded political success.MGR took considerable time after his political expulsion.Tamil Dailies like Alai Osai gave him the initial boost of publicity.Despite decades of association with the DMK and despite his long term political experience along with cinema,MGR waited for several inputs,before launching a political outfit. Jeyalalitha's struggle was still worse.She had to brace stiff internal hurdles, contest on a different symbol{Cock symbol},prove her popularity at the hustings and then gain control of the party and its two leaves symbol.
Over the decades,many have stamped their feet on the political ground in Tamil Nadu.Big and small players,established Dravidian outfits,age old Congress and the Communists,splinter groups branching out from the Dravidian parties,caste outlets and film stars have all paraded here with fanfare,,spreading competitions and splitting the votes.These days people are easily aware of the daily developments,reaching them as information, misinformation and nightmares. So far,Rajini has reached the people of Tamil Nadu only as a probable,or prospective politician and not as a progressive leader of a great political movement.
Ultimately,it is funding that is going to matter.Without hefty funding politics will remain only as a paper weight. MGR had invested his faith among the Tamils as a lovable and credible leader through his unwavering roles in films.Election funding during his time did not include any provision for purchasing votes.MGR was closer to the hearts of the poor as the good Samaritan.It was people's love for him that was transformed into votes.That MGR was a teetotaller and that he was far from caste and religious politics,helped him belong to all castes and religious groups,without any prejudice.Beyond all these observations and interpretations,it is still a matter of doubt,whether Rajini with his volatile and wavering footholds,has personally made up his mind to sail his political ship in the much troubled waters.The MGR's formula of politics is no where near Rajini's grasp.Nor is Rajini going to fill up any non existing void.
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