“Our bodies are our only weapons. Gather everyone, we will agitate.”
—Rajnikanth as Kaala in the movie’s trailer
“Protests after protests will only reduce Tamil Nadu to a graveyard. Industries and trade will hesitate to invest here. Our youth will not have any jobs.”
—Rajnikanth after visiting those injured in the Thoothukudi police firing.
***
A state awaits its hero’s utterances with bated breath—and receives only conflicting signals. Rajnikanth the film hero wants his people to agitate, but his political avatar warns them not to protest too much. “Which Rajni do I follow?” is a real doubt that has racked the minds of his millions of fans.
Though his larger-than-life personality and heroism on screen have been shaped by the ‘punch’ lines he delivers in his films, Rajnikanth had always advised his fans to stay grounded. “What I do in movies...
