Rajini may lose his appeal if he declares his political affiliation
The film 'Baba' may have bombed at the box office. But its story and spiritual quotient closely paralleled Rajinikanth's life. 'Baba' is about a regular guy who, for whatever reason and without asking for it, is led toward enlightenment -a state that many aspire to achieve. Padma Vibhushan
Rajinikanth never tires of pointing to destiny to explain why he is what he is - the darling of Tamils.
Rajinikanth's life is almost an open book. Explaining Thyagu's character he played in 'Aval Appadithan', Rajinikanth has said he too was like Thyagu: He smokes and drinks but also sports sacred-ash on his fore head. The mad love that Tamils have developed for Rajini could in-part be attributed to his endearing quality of being totally unassuming, says T N Gopalan, veteran journalist who spent a day with him for an article in 1980 when Rajini was nearing stardom. Gopalan minces no words while criticising Rajini's lack of political gravitas, yet says that Rajini is personally a loveable person. "When I asked him about reports that he had lost his sense of balance, Rajini simply said it was because of too much money, too much fame and too many ... His voice trailed off but he winked at me so I got the hint," says Gopalan.
It is this unhesitant and confident spontaneity that Rajini transfers onto celluloid. Averse to hiding his flaws, Rajini's appeal, unlike that of MGR, is not built on the idealized qualities of the characters he portrays. Rather, it's the image of innocence-in-real-life that draws Tamils.
Rajini is known to be brutally honest about his strengths and weaknesses. While many try to see parallels with MGR, he knows what the difference is.
MGR had it in him to master the nitty gritty of politics. In the dog-eat-dog world of films where the rules are probably even fewer than in politics, MGR was the unquestioned monarch. He controlled the industry, its finances included, and ruled over the studios and workers well into the 1980s. It was a power that even then CM M Karunanidhi could not undermine. It is true that Rajinikanth, befitting his stature as a big star, has a coterie - but no empire like that of MGR.
While a wildly popular MGR sought to use films, especially in those that were written by M Karunanidhi, to advance Dravidian politics, Rajini has used the idea of entering politics to advance the success of his movies. In film after film, his fans would wait to hear him make a not so-subtle reference about his politics. Those moments, the political punch dialogues, became the highlights of the movies and probably contributed to their success.
But, barring in 1996, when he came out against Jayalalithaa and helped to coalesce the victorious DMK TMC combine, Rajinikanth has never really made the jump. BJP leaders have made it a point to cultivate Rajini. In 2000, during NDA rule, he was awarded Padma Bhushan. During his campaign in 2014, Modi met with him. Many political analysts have seen in Rajini's overt spirituality and conservative ideas, especially with regard to status of women in society, a natural segue to Hindutva. In 2004, he did declare his personal support for NDA. Karunanidhi too meets with Rajinikanth time and again including when Rajini was hospitalized recently. He hailed the Padma Vibhushan award. As Union health minister, Anbumani Ramadoss had a run-in with Rajini for appearing as a smoker in movies. But that's about all.
Chief minister J Jayalalithaa too has refrained from criticizing him, despite 1996. Rajini is not in the arena and therefore not fair game, apparently.
Rajini likely has a clear idea of what the political world is and how much success he can achieve. Right now, his passion for spirituality echoes into the saintly idiom that is a feature of Indian politics. Many politicians, starting from Mahatma Gandhi, owe their political appeal in-part to their apparent aversion to positions of power. The saint-politician in TN is Rajini. He probably knows that the moment he declares his affiliation openly he may well lose his power.