AS THEY SAW HIM
IT’S VETTAIYAADU VILAIYAADU TIME
People Came To See Kamal Haasan, The Actor, Returned With Hope; Now He Has To Turn Fans Into Cadres
D.Govardan @timesgroup.com
Locals came in droves to meetings addressed by Kamal Haasan or to places he visited on Wednesday — be it A P J Abdul Kalam’s residence and his memorial or towns like Ramanathapuram and Paramakudi — en route to Madurai for launching his party. However, most of them seemingly had come to see Kamal the film star, not the politician.
They had come to see him rather than hear what he had to say. It’s another matter that the actor too did not speak much anywhere. “Sekkasevelnu irukaaru,” (very fair) was how a woman described him on the phone to someone, outside the Kalam memorial. That’s how MGR was seen by the womenfolk of Tamil Nadu and they remained his hardcore vote base till the end.
“Can’t you people move aside, so that we can have a good look at him,” a few burkha-clad women in front of Kalam’s residence were seen telling those ahead of them. None obliged.
“Vella velernu (very fair) irukaaru,” exclaimed an aged admirer, scrambling for a closer look. “People like him (Kamal) had totally forgotten this place and are suddenly remembering their origin. He should have adopted at least something here,” said a tea vendor in Ramanathapuram, even as Kamal Haasan was addressing the crowd as “my people”.
The crowd was mostly mixed; young and old, men and women and youth. Adding to the crowd and chaos were the innumerable vehicles of the actor’s fans who had come from various districts across the state — from Vellore to Villupuram and Karur to Coimbatore.
“He worked hard as an actor. He will work harder as a politician now,” says R Raja, a youth from Karur. “A change will come and we are sure about it. He will fill in the vacuum,” said Ponraj, a fan club coordinator from Virudhunagar.
Almost all the fans TOI spoke to were unanimous in saying that they had come on their own and at their own expense. “This make-shift stage being constructed would cost close to Rs 50,000. The local office bearers, though not wealthy, pooled in resources. Nothing came from the head office which had reportedly allotted about Rs 10 lakh for the main stage in Madurai,” said Malarmaindhan, fan club coordinator at Paramakudi. It is another matter that Kamal did not even get on to that stage in Paramakudi on Wednesday.
“We were keen to fund, but he said ‘no’,” said C K Kumaravel, founder, Naturals Spa & Beauty chain, who has joined hands with Kamal Haasan. “We were even asked not to mobilise crowds for the main meeting in Madurai. He wanted people to come on their own. The thought may look utopian, but that’s the change that all of us are looking for in Tamil Nadu,” said Narayan, another of Kamal’s core team member, who was a top television executive earlier.
FIRST DAY, FIRST SHOW: Kamal Haasan began his day by seeking blessings from APJ Abdul Kalam’s elder brother Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraicker. He then addressed gatherings at Ramanathapuram, Parakamudi before launching his party in Madurai
HAVING A SAY: Kamal Haasan addresses a gathering at his hometown Paramakudi
IT’S VETTAIYAADU VILAIYAADU TIME
People Came To See Kamal Haasan, The Actor, Returned With Hope; Now He Has To Turn Fans Into Cadres
D.Govardan @timesgroup.com
Locals came in droves to meetings addressed by Kamal Haasan or to places he visited on Wednesday — be it A P J Abdul Kalam’s residence and his memorial or towns like Ramanathapuram and Paramakudi — en route to Madurai for launching his party. However, most of them seemingly had come to see Kamal the film star, not the politician.
They had come to see him rather than hear what he had to say. It’s another matter that the actor too did not speak much anywhere. “Sekkasevelnu irukaaru,” (very fair) was how a woman described him on the phone to someone, outside the Kalam memorial. That’s how MGR was seen by the womenfolk of Tamil Nadu and they remained his hardcore vote base till the end.
“Can’t you people move aside, so that we can have a good look at him,” a few burkha-clad women in front of Kalam’s residence were seen telling those ahead of them. None obliged.
“Vella velernu (very fair) irukaaru,” exclaimed an aged admirer, scrambling for a closer look. “People like him (Kamal) had totally forgotten this place and are suddenly remembering their origin. He should have adopted at least something here,” said a tea vendor in Ramanathapuram, even as Kamal Haasan was addressing the crowd as “my people”.
The crowd was mostly mixed; young and old, men and women and youth. Adding to the crowd and chaos were the innumerable vehicles of the actor’s fans who had come from various districts across the state — from Vellore to Villupuram and Karur to Coimbatore.
“He worked hard as an actor. He will work harder as a politician now,” says R Raja, a youth from Karur. “A change will come and we are sure about it. He will fill in the vacuum,” said Ponraj, a fan club coordinator from Virudhunagar.
Almost all the fans TOI spoke to were unanimous in saying that they had come on their own and at their own expense. “This make-shift stage being constructed would cost close to Rs 50,000. The local office bearers, though not wealthy, pooled in resources. Nothing came from the head office which had reportedly allotted about Rs 10 lakh for the main stage in Madurai,” said Malarmaindhan, fan club coordinator at Paramakudi. It is another matter that Kamal did not even get on to that stage in Paramakudi on Wednesday.
“We were keen to fund, but he said ‘no’,” said C K Kumaravel, founder, Naturals Spa & Beauty chain, who has joined hands with Kamal Haasan. “We were even asked not to mobilise crowds for the main meeting in Madurai. He wanted people to come on their own. The thought may look utopian, but that’s the change that all of us are looking for in Tamil Nadu,” said Narayan, another of Kamal’s core team member, who was a top television executive earlier.
FIRST DAY, FIRST SHOW: Kamal Haasan began his day by seeking blessings from APJ Abdul Kalam’s elder brother Mohammed Muthu Meera Lebbai Maraicker. He then addressed gatherings at Ramanathapuram, Parakamudi before launching his party in Madurai HAVING A SAY: Kamal Haasan addresses a gathering at his hometown Paramakudi 
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