What does superstar Rajinikanth intend to achieve in the realm of Tamil Nadu politics? Well, other than making it clear that he wants to practice ‘spiritual politics’ (a term that has left all his colleagues and observers baffled and stumped), of course.
There is no clear-cut policy in sight, nor a name for his future political party. Wait, is there a political party in the offing at all? Or is the 67-year-old still meditating on the possibilities of becoming a politico?
So while the nation awaits his spiritual awakening, a source very close to the actor-turning-politician (hopefully) says that Rajinikanth is currently in the process of making his plans concrete.
“He has gone off on his annual pilgrimage for 15 days, which political observers are linking to his political plans. But that is not the case at all! Rajini undertakes a tirth yatra almost every year. And it’s no different this year. He may be giving the impression that he will make big announcements about his political plans when he returns from the pilgrimage when in reality there is no plan yet,” reveals the source.
PARTNERS IN POLITICS
However, the one thing that can be expected from Rajiniknath’s politics, if and when he actually announces his political party, is his younger daughter Sondarya’s active participation in his political agenda.
“Soundarya will be Rajini’s right-hand person. She will be the go-to person for all political queries regarding Rajinikanth. She will handle all the day-to-day political activities and liaison work, almost like Indira to Jawaharlal Nehru,” says the source.
Says a source close to Haasan: “Kamal says his chosen colour for politics is not saffron. Rajini seems unsure of what his chosen colour is. But he has based his politics on M.G. Ramachandran, which means Rajini will continue to act in films, though not as frequently.”
In a past interview, Soundarya had spoken about her father’s career plans thus: “My dad never made any career plans. He is a very simple human being. He never forgot where he came from. As his children, my sister Aishwarya and I learnt this from him - to never forget our roots. With our dad, there are no two faces. What you see is what he is. Whether it’s a fan or a producer, he treats them all the same. He has been down to earth all his life. He will never change.”
But change, as we all know, is the only constant in politics. Whether Rajinikanth will practice the politics of his cinema or use politics as an extension of celluloid image, he may not achieve the same success as MGR. The demographics of the Tamil vote bank has changed. The average voter no longer believes in the things that an actor, no matter how popular or influential, is seen doing on screen. He has start from scratch and prove his worth in the political arena. Will Rajinikanth be up for it?
