It looked as if the BJP was hoping to use Rajinikanth to press their seat-bargain with the AIADMK. Now with the Rajini bait gone, the question now is not how much the BJP would settle for, but how much the AIADMK would be ready to offer, notes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rajinikanth's visible electoral strength is his constant mouthing of the term, 'aanmiga arasiyal', or 'spiritual politics', without he having to explain what it is. By implication, it is all that what Dravidian politics is not about. It may imply anti-corruption, being against Periyar's forgotten anti-god, anti-Brahmin dictum, but also ends up covering 'Tamil pride', which begins with Tamil language where, as a Maratha from Karnataka, he has more to defend himself. However, in the contemporary national context, aanmiga arasiyal is seen as a front for Rajini to market his brand of 'soft Hindutva' but identified even more with the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in political terms, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rajinikanth is yet to identify a filmi platform to be able to launch his political career from the celluloid platform as only MGR had done, successfully and in the pre-IT era, says N Sathiya Moorthy.
Karunanidhi, 94, died at the Kauvery hospital on Tuesday following prolonged illness.
In a brief one minute video clip, Rajinikanth thanked all those who welcomed his political plunge.
Lal Salaam is not a movie A Ganesh Nadar would recommend.
'I watch other movies, other stars, but no one evokes the same passion.'
The participation of the two veteran actors assumes significance in view of their recent statements suggesting that they could be joining politics.
Vellore is one of the two seats that the DMK alliance won by the narrowest of margins in 2019. For the DMK's vote-score to be so low in a constituency with a substantial Muslim population has not missed the BJP strategists' eyes, observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
'He should not have said that he will contest irrespective of his health four weeks ago.'
'If he goes ahead with his plan, it might work.'
The latest updates from the Tamil film industry.
In Karunanidhi's passing the real loser is Tamil Nadu and Tamil language. So far there is no one on the horizon to fill the vacuum left behind by him, says R Rajagopalan.
'I wish him well in whatever he does and I will do so if he enters politics too.'
'There will be significant political traction for him. But how much, we don't know yet'
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