Chennai: Kollywood is throbbing with excitement that Kamal Haasan pleaded with Karnataka Chief Minister H.D.Kumaraswamy for help to ease the release of Rajinikanth's Kaala that has got stuck in that state with the film chamber there succumbing to pressure from Kannada groups seeking the film's ban because the superstar spoke in support of Tamil Nadu farmers on Cauvery.
Kaala is slated for release in record number of theatres in Tamil Nadu on Thursday but the fans of the superstar in Karnataka cannot see the movie, thanks to hardliners blocking it and the state government doing nothing about it. Some Kollywood sources say it's possible that Kamal might have flown to Bengaluru to plead friend Rajini's case with HDK.
“When the Tamil Nadu Government banned Kamal's Viswaroopam following protests from Muslim groups in January 2013, Rajini had released a handwritten statement, along with his Eid greetings to his “Muslim brethren to give up their demand to ban Viswaroopam. It could be Kamal's turn now to repay that gesture from his friend”, said a source.
“Unlikely”, said another voice from the opposite camp in Kollywood. “The two are no longer that close after Kamal launched his party and Rajini confirmed his own political avatar. “It is more likely that Kamal had sought Kumaraswamy's help for the smooth release of his Viswaroopam-2”.
Interestingly, Kamal had stressed after his HDK meeting that he had not gone there as a leader of his Makkal Needhi Maiam but as a representative of the people of Tamil Nadu. “Does he mean to say that his party is not part of the people?” asked a Kollywood senior, requesting anonymity for obvious reasons.
Another raised a heap of questions. “Was he trying to insulate himself, and his MNM, from future blame that he used the newly acquired political status to negotiate smooth release for his Viswaroopam-2 in return for alliance when needed? Was he testing the HDK response to his support for the proposed anti-saffron national coalition and his desire to join it?
And did HDK offer him the honorary position of peace ambassador between the two states only because he has now provided a great opportunity to revive the Kannada demand for negotiations even after the Centre announced the Cauvery Authority in tune with the Supreme Court order? Was he really serving the interests of Tamil Nadu by this trip at this time?”
