Rajini has entered politics; now, will politics enter Rajini?

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Rajini has entered politics; now, will politics enter Rajini?

ARUN RAM
07.12.2020

No sooner had Rajini announced that he would launch a political party in January than the dirty tricks departments started working overtime. First came a series of old videos of Tamilaruvi Manian, in which Rajini’s right-hand man was seen criticising, even ridiculing, his new idol. Some others targeted Ra Arjunamurthy, the other lieutenant who stood with Rajini at the Poes Garden press meet.


The superstar himself wasn’t spared. Circulating on social media was a video of a man who claimed to have produced a Rajini movie sometime in the 1980s, virtually abusing the actor for having done nothing for even his friends. Rajini has fielded Manian and Murthy to defend the fort. As more dirty bombs are launched, sooner than later, the commander will have to step out.


Is Rajini adept at playing the rough and tumble of realpolitik? Well, he has no choice (unless he goes back on his announcement). For the past few years I, along with legions of Rajinikanth fans, have prodded him to take the political plunge. Now that he has decided to do it, I think I should put in my twopence to add three things to the actor’s political shopping cart:

A thin veil

Transparency in politics is a myth, a misnomer. If everything in a party is transparent, why should it have closed-door meetings? A politician is but human, with the same follies – if not bigger ones – as any average person. He has his vices, his embarrassing moments, his dark secrets. A successful politician is not a saint but a smart impersonator of his better self, deftly hiding his impertinence and inadequacies behind a thin veil while presenting, through its sheer translucence, the smiling version of a selfless saviour, a ready redeemer. Nikita Krushchev said a politician is someone who promises to build a bridge even when there is no river. In India, Rajini should know, a politician is someone who promises a river so that he can build a bridge.

A thick skin

After anonymous detractors fired the initial salvos at Manian and Murthy, now Seeman has threatened to ‘hit out’ at Rajini. As more muck flies, Rajini should ensure that it doesn’t stick. And the best armour in the dirty game is a thick skin. This pachyderm quality has kept many of our politicians in good stead. They may fret and fume about a former rival in private, but when political expediency demands, they hug and hold hands in public. Our political history is replete with tales of successful politicians taking insult — and injury — from rivals and later turning them into electoral bedfellows. The mantra: Never forget, but forgive for one’s own benefit.

A sharp tongue

Maintaining equipoise while taking flak doesn’t mean taking it lying down. In fact, one has to return it in good measure, without letting the rival drag you into the buffalo pond. This might be the toughest challenge for Rajini. He has avoided taking on M Karunanidhi and J Jayalalithaa. He was, inadvertently, admitting his inability to get into ugly combats with the mighty when he said in 2017 that his entry was necessitated by the vacuum left behind by the two leaders. But Rajini shouldn’t think those remaining in the ring are lightweights — they may not punch as hard, but they can hit below the belt.

‘Spiritual politician’ Rajini promising a clean alternative may be hesitant to add these essentials to his political kit, but if he stays in the ring for long, he is sure to acquire them. That’s when we would say politics has entered Rajini.


arun.ram@timesgroup.com