Politics will drive a wedge between me & Rajini: Kamal
Jaya.Menon@timesgroup.com 17.03.2018
As observers keenly watch the yetto-unfold politics of actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, the latter on Friday admitted there was bound to be a ‘divide’ between him and his film industry ‘competitor’ — turned political opponent. “I do not yet know his political views. But, (my stand is that) I won’t take sides. I have no religion. I believe in all religions, I believe in amity,” Kamal Haasan told TOI on Friday, in what seemed a mild dig at Rajinikanth and his avowed ‘spiritual politics’.
Would there be a sense of regret in the coming days as politics was bound to divide? “Absolutely it will…even our profession did,” said Kamal. Rajnikanth’s kind of movies was different. “I don’t believe in those kind of films because I don’t want to do his kind of films. Likewise, he wouldn’t want to do the kind of films I am doing. I am sure politics may also have a similar divide. That doesn’t mean, I have to condemn him to disappearance.”
On whether there could be collaborative politics between him and Rajnikanth, Kamal said, “If he is going to leave out certain areas and is going to be firm about a certain philosophy and if it doesn’t work out (for us), then that will be a divide. We don’t know. Elections are yet to come.”
When he met Rajinikanth before he launched his outfit ‘Makkal Needhi Maiam’, they had agreed on politics of decency, said Kamal. “We were competitors in films, though we had a good relationship… but yes, politics will absolutely divide us,” admitted Kamal in an interview.
During an interaction with reporters in Coimbatore after his recent Erode visit to interact with fans and people in the region, Kamal, to a question on Rajnikanth’s silence on the smouldering Cauvery water sharing dispute, said, “He is silent on several issues.” Later, Rajnikanth, who was in Rishikesh on a ‘spiritual quest’, told journalists, “I have not yet become a full-time politician. I don’t want to talk anything about politics now.”
Commenting on Rajini’s style of politics so far, the actor said, “He has a methodology which he thinks is best. There is no need for me to comment on it and he has clearly indicated that he is not going to talk now, which is fair enough.” Kamal said he started the other way around. “I spoke about politics (before entering it). I was tweeting for nearly a year. A different (political) style, different acting styles,” he said.
Despite their professional rivalry, Kamal, in a tactical move, called on Rajinikanth at his Chennai residence last month, before he launched his party. “I had to tell him that I am going in, so that it doesn’t look like cheap competition. I told him I am here for a reason and hoped he would appreciate it. The only thing we committed to is to take politics to another level of decency. We may agree to disagree, but we will never play foul.”
The understanding was less at a “personal level” and more to do with ideology. “We have done different kinds of films. We are competitors but among all actors, the two of us had a good relationship.”
CLASH OF TITANS: As superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth enter politics, an epic clash is likely to be witnessed before the next election they contest in
Jaya.Menon@timesgroup.com 17.03.2018
As observers keenly watch the yetto-unfold politics of actors Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, the latter on Friday admitted there was bound to be a ‘divide’ between him and his film industry ‘competitor’ — turned political opponent. “I do not yet know his political views. But, (my stand is that) I won’t take sides. I have no religion. I believe in all religions, I believe in amity,” Kamal Haasan told TOI on Friday, in what seemed a mild dig at Rajinikanth and his avowed ‘spiritual politics’.
Would there be a sense of regret in the coming days as politics was bound to divide? “Absolutely it will…even our profession did,” said Kamal. Rajnikanth’s kind of movies was different. “I don’t believe in those kind of films because I don’t want to do his kind of films. Likewise, he wouldn’t want to do the kind of films I am doing. I am sure politics may also have a similar divide. That doesn’t mean, I have to condemn him to disappearance.”
On whether there could be collaborative politics between him and Rajnikanth, Kamal said, “If he is going to leave out certain areas and is going to be firm about a certain philosophy and if it doesn’t work out (for us), then that will be a divide. We don’t know. Elections are yet to come.”
When he met Rajinikanth before he launched his outfit ‘Makkal Needhi Maiam’, they had agreed on politics of decency, said Kamal. “We were competitors in films, though we had a good relationship… but yes, politics will absolutely divide us,” admitted Kamal in an interview.
During an interaction with reporters in Coimbatore after his recent Erode visit to interact with fans and people in the region, Kamal, to a question on Rajnikanth’s silence on the smouldering Cauvery water sharing dispute, said, “He is silent on several issues.” Later, Rajnikanth, who was in Rishikesh on a ‘spiritual quest’, told journalists, “I have not yet become a full-time politician. I don’t want to talk anything about politics now.”
Commenting on Rajini’s style of politics so far, the actor said, “He has a methodology which he thinks is best. There is no need for me to comment on it and he has clearly indicated that he is not going to talk now, which is fair enough.” Kamal said he started the other way around. “I spoke about politics (before entering it). I was tweeting for nearly a year. A different (political) style, different acting styles,” he said.
Despite their professional rivalry, Kamal, in a tactical move, called on Rajinikanth at his Chennai residence last month, before he launched his party. “I had to tell him that I am going in, so that it doesn’t look like cheap competition. I told him I am here for a reason and hoped he would appreciate it. The only thing we committed to is to take politics to another level of decency. We may agree to disagree, but we will never play foul.”
The understanding was less at a “personal level” and more to do with ideology. “We have done different kinds of films. We are competitors but among all actors, the two of us had a good relationship.”
CLASH OF TITANS: As superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth enter politics, an epic clash is likely to be witnessed before the next election they contest in
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