Actor Vijay is no stranger to run-ins with politicians
Nurtures Ambitions, But His Actions Lack Consistency
D.Govardan@timesgroup.com 09.11.2018
Actor Vijay and controversies go hand in hand. This has been the case for the past few years. More so after the actor started a welfare association of his fans, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, through which he started distributing aid to the underprivileged. Even as they sensed his political ambitions, discomfited politicians took potshots at the actor.
While Vijay himself has hinted at a political entry from time to time, or most directly at the audio launch of his latest film ‘Sarkar’, his actions have been more of the ‘hit and run’ variety. They lacked consistency.
For instance, in 2009, he rushed all the way to New Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi. The buzz then was Vijay wanted to become a leader of the Youth Congress, but he was found to be overage.
While this reportedly irked DMK, then ruling the state, he extended the support of his fans to the AIADMK in the 2011 assembly elections, after his film ‘Kaavalan’ faced trouble in getting enough theatres under the DMK regime. However, his bonhomie did not last long with the AIADMK and its chief J Jayalalithaa, as the star’s ‘Thalaivaa’ ran into trouble due to its tagline – ‘Time to Lead’ — in 2013. Despite Vijay and his film maker father S A Chandrasekharan rushing to Kodanad, they could not meet her. Eventually that film was promoted without the tagline.
Earlier, his ‘Thuppakki’ (2012) too courted trouble for fears over showing a minority community in bad light and later ‘Katthi’ also faced trouble from Tamil outfits, as the producer of the movie was alleged to be a close associate of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse. In most of the cases, Vijay maintained silence, not the hallmark of an aspiring politician. This remains the case with last year’s issue over ‘Mersal’ and the latest ‘Sarkar’ row.
“Vijay has political ambitions and is using films as a powerful medium. As it happened with Rajinikanth and ‘Baasha’, it has become a pattern for actors including Vijay and Kamal Haasan to play around with politics in their films. While Vijay would be happy with the free publicity and hence remains silent, the fact that ‘Sarkar’ is produced by Sun Pictures has made it more controversial,” says political analyst M Kasinathan. “As for the ruling AIADMK, they utilized the opportunity to show that their cadres are still vibrant,”
he added.
‘SARKAR’ VS SARKAR: AIADMK men vandalised theatres and ripped apart posters, banners of actor Vijay and the film Sarkar in Kasi theatre (in pic) in Chennai and several other cinemas in Trichy, Tiruvarur and Mannargudi
A government that does not accept criticism will derail. The coterie of political traders will end soon. Good people will soon come to the ruling saddle
KAMAL HAASAN | ON TWITTER
‘LET PEOPLE, NOT FILMMAKERS, DECIDE ON FREEBIES’
State food minister R Kamaraj on Thursday said people who act and make films for commercial gains have no legitimate right to say what people should or should not do. The minister was reacting to a scene in the Vijay-starrer ‘Sarkar’, in which people were seen burning freebies distributed by the government. Speaking to reporters in Tiruvarur, Kamaraj slammed the makers of ‘Sarkar’ for showing the welfare schemes introduced by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa in a bad light. “Let people decide whether they want the freebies or not,” he said. The minister wanted the objectionable scenes to be removed from the film. Earlier, Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai said in Karur that filmmakers should exercise caution, adding, “Movies should not hurt public sentiment.”
Nurtures Ambitions, But His Actions Lack Consistency
D.Govardan@timesgroup.com 09.11.2018
Actor Vijay and controversies go hand in hand. This has been the case for the past few years. More so after the actor started a welfare association of his fans, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, through which he started distributing aid to the underprivileged. Even as they sensed his political ambitions, discomfited politicians took potshots at the actor.
While Vijay himself has hinted at a political entry from time to time, or most directly at the audio launch of his latest film ‘Sarkar’, his actions have been more of the ‘hit and run’ variety. They lacked consistency.
For instance, in 2009, he rushed all the way to New Delhi to meet Rahul Gandhi. The buzz then was Vijay wanted to become a leader of the Youth Congress, but he was found to be overage.
While this reportedly irked DMK, then ruling the state, he extended the support of his fans to the AIADMK in the 2011 assembly elections, after his film ‘Kaavalan’ faced trouble in getting enough theatres under the DMK regime. However, his bonhomie did not last long with the AIADMK and its chief J Jayalalithaa, as the star’s ‘Thalaivaa’ ran into trouble due to its tagline – ‘Time to Lead’ — in 2013. Despite Vijay and his film maker father S A Chandrasekharan rushing to Kodanad, they could not meet her. Eventually that film was promoted without the tagline.
Earlier, his ‘Thuppakki’ (2012) too courted trouble for fears over showing a minority community in bad light and later ‘Katthi’ also faced trouble from Tamil outfits, as the producer of the movie was alleged to be a close associate of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse. In most of the cases, Vijay maintained silence, not the hallmark of an aspiring politician. This remains the case with last year’s issue over ‘Mersal’ and the latest ‘Sarkar’ row.
“Vijay has political ambitions and is using films as a powerful medium. As it happened with Rajinikanth and ‘Baasha’, it has become a pattern for actors including Vijay and Kamal Haasan to play around with politics in their films. While Vijay would be happy with the free publicity and hence remains silent, the fact that ‘Sarkar’ is produced by Sun Pictures has made it more controversial,” says political analyst M Kasinathan. “As for the ruling AIADMK, they utilized the opportunity to show that their cadres are still vibrant,”
he added.
‘SARKAR’ VS SARKAR: AIADMK men vandalised theatres and ripped apart posters, banners of actor Vijay and the film Sarkar in Kasi theatre (in pic) in Chennai and several other cinemas in Trichy, Tiruvarur and Mannargudi
A government that does not accept criticism will derail. The coterie of political traders will end soon. Good people will soon come to the ruling saddle
KAMAL HAASAN | ON TWITTER
‘LET PEOPLE, NOT FILMMAKERS, DECIDE ON FREEBIES’
State food minister R Kamaraj on Thursday said people who act and make films for commercial gains have no legitimate right to say what people should or should not do. The minister was reacting to a scene in the Vijay-starrer ‘Sarkar’, in which people were seen burning freebies distributed by the government. Speaking to reporters in Tiruvarur, Kamaraj slammed the makers of ‘Sarkar’ for showing the welfare schemes introduced by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa in a bad light. “Let people decide whether they want the freebies or not,” he said. The minister wanted the objectionable scenes to be removed from the film. Earlier, Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai said in Karur that filmmakers should exercise caution, adding, “Movies should not hurt public sentiment.”
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