Actor Vijay once said in a conversation with this writer in December 2017 that “politics was an ocean” and he would contemplate an entry very deeply before making a decision.
It was just months ahead of actor-politician Kamal Haasan’s plunge, when the political air was churning with possibilities in the absence of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) icon Jayalalithaa and DMK’s M Karunanidhi remaining far removed from the daily news grind.
Vijay was very clear that a political entry needs to be thought through, weighed dispassionately, and cannot be treated as a foray – it needs to be a once-and-for-all decision.
Now, going by the function that he held on Saturday to give away grants to top scorers in the recent Grade 10 and 12 exams, there was a very clear takeaway – Vijay has made his mind up and that he is entering politics.
At the event, Vijay came across as unassuming and affectionate: he received a piece of artwork done by a physically challenged teenager, gave him a hug, and spoke to the awardees patiently and with an obvious interest in what he was doing.
In his speech, he seemed to vacillate between impromptu bursts and segments of careful construction, but mostly the messaging was centred around what youngsters needed to do to stay disciplined, succeed, and most importantly, make sense of all the chaos around them – politically and culturally.
For someone marked to be a future politician, Vijay’s speech was clearly less political and more personal, almost a one-to-one communication with his fanboys (and girls).
But this too is a construct. Vijay appears to have decided to kick-start what looks like a multi-leg campaign that would eventually pave the way for his political entry. The beginning moves might centre around progressive messaging with only a slight rhetoric about politics (‘Getting cash for votes is akin to poking our own eyes with our finger’ – a line today delivered too well to be categorised impromptu).
In his speech, Vijay identified three political idols – BR Ambedkar, Periyar EV Ramasamy, and Congress leader K Kamaraj. Clearly, that’s an indication of where his idealogies lie. And, the fact that he skipped both CN Annadurai and M Karunanidhi, the tallest leaders of the DMK, also stands unmissed.
Should Vijay enter electoral politics decisively, or make noises ahead of elections to influence voters this way or the other, it is likely to have some impact on incumbents DMK and AIADMK.
With a strong, loyal fanbase across the state’s youth, Vijay’s influence in any election now is something both Dravidian parties can’t ignore – but neither are going to admit that.
Vijay, however, needs to bear two important lessons in mind: Politics cannot be done part-time, as Kamal Haasan has found out disastrously. In politics, timing is key, as Rajinikanth has found out in a bungled political foray that never happened.
Vijay stands at the threshold of a seminal political entry in Tamil Nadu’s politics. The question is, has he learnt from the lesson of his forerunners?
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