CHENNAI: Ringing in his 63rd birthday in true filmy style, Tamil film icon Kamal Haasan on Tuesday declared that he had already taken the plunge into politics. However, he kept up the suspense on the name of his political party, its agenda, and launch date saying things are being worked out “slowly and steadily”. At an event called to make a “special announcement”, Kamal arrived on the dais an hour late owing to “traffic and rains” and declared that the launch of “maiam-whistle”, a digital platform would enable the common man to air his grievances about any issue that irks him. Kamal also declared his intention is to tour the length and breadth of Tamil Nadu sometime in the New Year and that he would launch his party after the tour.
The legendary actor, who has a fan following across the country and whose Twitter activism had everyone guessing whether he would actually enter politics, took the pains to explain that his political launch will take “some time” but he has already started working on the “structural part” of the whole thing. Taking questions from journalists, Kamal expressed the hope that he would be the change that people of Tamil Nadu have been yearning for and suggested that his political party may not be up and running before the local body polls and gave enough hints that his target was Assembly elections, scheduled only for 2021.
He also said his new political party would not encourage ‘migration’ from the existing political parties and he would be careful in choosing candidates to ensure that they don't end up being “like the current lot”. On funding, Kamal said he would follow the same method that he had followed to keep ‘bad money’ away from his film company for 30 years. “I am already here. I am holding discussions with various experts on the whole thing”, Kamal told the crowded event as he fielded questions on his political avatar. “You can't give birth to a child immediately after getting pregnant. And I can’t name a child without knowing whether it is a boy or a girl. I am in talks with experts from across the spectrum to lay a strong foundation. And you know, I take six months to prepare for an intense role in my movies. This is a more serious issue and I am preparing for it”, Kamal said.
Dwelling on the ‘maiamwhistle’, he said the mobile platform, which would also include a mobile application, was under development after which it has to be "beta-tested" before being launched in January. "In January, when I give details about the launch of the digital platform, I will also announce my tour programme during which I will ask people to suggest name for my political party", Kamal said. The digital platform is being developed by a group of 25 experts and will serve as an e-vigil tool. "Blow the whistle when there is some injustice and you can complain about anything and we will give you the entire redressal mechanism. If you find me making any mistakes in future, you can blow the whistle against me as well”, the actor said.
