You can take away the politician from the actor but never the actor from the politician. Kamalahaasan, the latest entrant to the galaxy of actor-turned-politicians from Tamil Nadu, proved the maxim on March 24. At a public meeting in Coimbatore where he released his party’s manifesto and its list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, the stage was T-shaped—the vertical part being a long ramp on to which the leader made his appearance.
As he walked the ramp, waving away at the large crowd, Kamal the star inhabited that cinematic moment with practised ease. The politician in him played out two hours later as he used the large screen on the backcloth to tear into the ‘shortcomings’ of the BJP and AIADMK governments, terming even the DMK and the Congress as “products of unholy alliances”.
A year after he launched Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) and got the election symbol of ‘torch light’ allotted to it, Kamalahaasan has made a bold sally—taking on the two Dravidian majors and their alliances...
THIS ARTICLE IS PRICELESS...
To read this piece, and more such stories in India's most exciting and exacting magazine, plus get access to our 25-year archives goldmine, please subscribe.
