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Joke comes true. Rajinikanth not joining politics, politics joining him

The massive debate surrounding Rajinikanth's possible political debut in Tamil Nadu has kept everyone glued to the latest "potboiler" by the veteran actor.

By Maitreyee
|
Google Oneindia News

Die-hard Rajinikanth fans believe even the dead comes back to life after catching a glimpse of their 'god'. While the 'belief' may just be one of those hugely popular jokes from the iconic 'Rajinikanth Jokes' collection based on the cinema God, the people of Tamil Nadu seem to be waiting for a similar political miracle.

Is Subramanian Swamy scared of Rajinikanth joining politics?Is Subramanian Swamy scared of Rajinikanth joining politics?

They are desperately looking for a 'thalaivar' (leader) to bring back to life a state lying "comatose" following the death of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa last year. From O Panneerselvam (Jayalalithaa's trusted man Friday) to Sasikala Natarajan (Amma's close confidante), one after another leader tried to usurp the vacant throne of Tamil Nadu, but palace intrigues did not let anyone rule the "kingdom" for long.

Rajinikanth

Now, a 'weakling' Edappadi K Palanisamy is seated on the coveted chair. Sasikala's man is either clueless or has turned a blind eye, as palace politics within the AIADMK is still raging, that with each passing day the ongoing drought in the state is hitting more and more farmers.

Farmers' suicide in the state has reached a mammoth proportion with more than 140 farmers killing themselves from October to December last year. Reports state that every day two farmers are committing suicides in the state.

In March, farmers from the state staged more than a month-long siege at the Jantar Mantar in the national capital demanding loan waiver and compensation for crops lost in the ongoing drought, said to be worst in the past 140 years.

They tried all possible tricks-- from stripping naked to drinking urine-- to draw the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi towards their plight. Unfortunately, their "antics" only made for good photo ops for lens men in Delhi. Finally, they had to go back home in Tamil Nadu after the CM promised the disgruntled farmers that all their demands would be fulfilled.

As far as the state's economy is concerned, Tamil Nadu is one of India's most prosperous states. According to figures, the state has the second largest economy in the country with an estimated Gross State Domestic Product of Rs 13,842 billion. Even, per capita Gross Domestic Product of Tamil Nadu is impressive at $3,000 in the year 2014-15, the third highest in India.

Although we don't have the latest figures of the state of the economy of Tamil Nadu, observers say when the entire government machinery has almost stopped functioning since the day Jayalalithaa was admitted to a hospital in Chennai in September last year, economic progression looks difficult.

Thankfully, cyclone Vardah last December was not as horrific as the floods of 2015. In 2015, entire Chennai was submerged in water. Due to the floods, more than 500 people died across the state. The financial losses were pegged at Rs 50,000 crore (unofficially).

Amid such a grim scenario, enters a hero, a matinee idol, a demigod--Tamil Nadu's very own Rajinikanth once again hinted at making an entry into politics. His fans clapped, whistled like they do whenever the 'Kabali' flicked his cigarettes in air and managed to defy gravity in almost all his movies.

His critics like Subramanian Swamy and Markandey Katju trolled him for dreaming to make a grand debut and have a successful run in politics, like his inspiring film career. The actor, who for the last four decades, have been mostly working in Tamil films, and also speaks fluent Tamil in spite of being a Marathi-speaking from Bengaluru, Karnataka, has been again questioned about his roots and loyalty towards Tamil causes by his opponents.

Rajinikanth, since 1996, when he first openly asked voters not to vote for the "corrupt" regime of Jayalalithaa leading to the AIADMK's humiliating defeat, knows it well that politics unlike cinema is not just about charisma and talent.

The political battleground is strewn with several thorns and to win the "war" a lot of maneuvering has to be done. Perhaps that's why the 66-year-old actor is taking time. He has kept his fans guessing for far too long now.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is desperately wishing to make its entry into Tamil politics, controlled by regional forces like the DMK and AIADMK for several decades, has given all positive signals to the actor to join them.

For the saffron brigade it would be a win-win situation, with Rajinikanth as the party's mascot in the state. They may not win the next assembly elections scheduled in 2021, but are surely going to emerge as a strong political force is south India's most powerful state.

There is also a likelihood of the assembly being dissolved much before the scheduled time because of the ongoing internal feuds and factionalism in the ruling AIADMK. The opposition DMK too is praying for early assembly polls hoping to win back power in the wake of the anti-incumbency wave.

Amid this political arithmetic, the numbers look in favour of the BJP and the DMK.
And what about the political box office collection of Rajinikanth? Will the superstar be able to prove himself as a solo hero of the Tamil political potboiler? Or, would he be relegated to the background like a sidekick from one of his own movies by the powerful and established forces?

For the actor to emerge as a "political messiah", Rajinikanth has to win the trust of his voters and bring their issues to the forefront.

The veteran actor, loved across the world for his affable nature, humility and good manners in real life, is a gentleman in true sense of the term. But is it possible for a gentleman to survive the cut-throat competition in politics?

To know his political fortunes or misfortunes, Rajinikanth has to first join politics with the right script and production crew. The fanfare would naturally follow. Who knows may be the next big political drama in Tamil Nadu is all set to sweep us off our feet.

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