Chennai: Taking his Twitter popularity to new heights, even as he was crowned the most popular Tamil star on the platform only Thursday, the actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan participated in an interview answering some of the most frequently asked questions on the social media platform.
Calling it #VanakkamTwitter, the star answered questioned posed to him by popular television anchor Divyadarshini but curated from his own Twitter profile using #AskKamalHaasan. “I joined Twitter because I couldn’t control my anger,” Kamal said as an observation was made to his popularity, “I wanted to voice my views. As a politician, I wanted to use it like a bulletin board... like how a graffiti artiste used walls.”
For a question on why people are drawn to sites like Twitter that allow for anonymity, Kamal said “It’s akin to how young boys enjoy standing in their balconies and spitting on passersby,” replied the actor. “Sometimes they hit their target, sometimes they miss, but the joy is in the act more than achieving their goal. With trolls, sometimes they hit, sometimes they don’t.”
“My father was a decent man. His son wasn’t like that initially. He worked on his children. This is like that. It requires work,” he responded, to a question on the possibility of avoiding corruption within his party. He concluded the session by asking his fans to be responsible while posting online and said, “basic etiquette is a must online just as it is in society.”
According to data generated by Twitter from the months of January to May 2018, Kamal is ranked the most talked about male celebrity in the Tamil film industry, owing to his tweets on the Cauvery issue, pollution, #JusticeForAsifa, ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ and his newly launched political party ‘Makkal Needhi Maiam’. The event at which he spoke was organized by Twitter organized this summit featuring a special appearance by Kamal Hassan to focus on his popularity.
