DNA Edit: Natural heirs – Rajinikant, Kamal Haasan are inheritors of a great tradition

Tamil Nadu politics has a logic of its own.  Colourful, dramatic and bold, it is theatrics personified. More importantly, for the first time in many years, there is seemingly a vacuum at the top.  AIADMK’s Jayalalitha and DMK’s K Karunanidhi, two presiding deities of state politics have departed from our midst. In such a situation, if others begin to feel ambitious, then it is but a natural corollary. And who better to replace a famous former actress and a screen writer for the powerful Tamil film industry than two stalwarts of the industry, the irrepressible Rajinikanth and the debonair Kamal Haasan. For many months now, there is a buzz around the two actors and their future course of political action. After all, they follow a distinguished tradition that goes back to MGR and include the likes of Sivaji Ganesan and countless others, who were not as big, but were influential in their own way. 

On Saturday, Kamal Haasan said that his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, had authorised him to take a decision regarding forging alliances with like-minded parties for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The signal is clear that the actor’s fledgling party is not willing to test the waters alone and would rather join hands with established parties. He has let it be known that he is suitably well disposed towards the Congress, if it comes out of the grip of the DMK. As with regional parties, for him it is going to be Tamil Nadu first. Interestingly, Kamal Haasan flaunting his ambitions comes after his rival and perhaps even a bigger star, Rajinikanth, had earlier announced his intention to contest polls for the Tamil Nadu assembly in 2021, promising to float a party that would practice 'spiritual' politics - whatever that means. All told, these are interesting times ahead for the state. Rajinikanth, who is also seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been keeping his cards close to his chest. But the time to tell all is coming closer.