In Tamil Nadu, a fictional Sarkar rattles a real one
CHENNAI: Members of Tamil Nadu’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) staged protests on Thursday against Sarkar, the new movie starring popular actor Vijay, besieging a multiplex in Madurai and tearing up banners and posters featuring the film in Coimbatore and Chennai, outraged by what they saw as a negative portrayal of the party and late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
The movie, considered by some as a launchpad for Vijay’s career in politics, has got off to a good box-office opening, its release timed to coincide with the Deepavali holiday, despite receiving mixed reviews.
AIADMK ministers came down heavily on the actor, film’s director AR Murugadoss, and producer Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures. Maran’s association with the main opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) — he is late M Karunanidhi’s grandnephew — also contributed to their anger.
AIADMK members and ministers were enraged by scenes showing people burning freebies offered by a political party after hearing a lecture by the character portrayed by Vijay on how people are fooled by politicians as well as references to government inaction over the travails faced by Tamil fishermen confronting the Sri Lankan navy; police firing on anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi; and the impact of some projects such as one to extract methane in the Cauvery basin.
They were most angry, however, with the film’s main female antagonist being named Komalavalli, the original name of Jayalalithaa before she became a movie actress and then a politician. Jayalalithaa, popularly and reverentially known as Amma (mother) within the party, died in December 2016.
“Komalavalli is Amma’s name and we cannot tolerate any insult to her,” said V Rajan Chellappa, a member of the legislative assembly, adding, if the objectionable scenes were not removed, protesters would not allow the its screening in Madurai.
Law minister CV Shanmugam alleged that the hero instigating the masses to burn freebies is nothing but incitement to vio- lence. “In a peaceful state like Tamil Nadu, people are being incited to resort to violence. It is a conspiracy. It is unacceptable,” fumed Shanmugam, a confidant of chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Later, he held discussions with advocate general Vijay Narain, amid speculation that the government may move the courts to press for cuts in the movie.
Fisheries minister D Jayakumar rued that the “the demise of Jayalalithaa has emboldened those in the film industry. When she was alive, they didn’t have the guts to make such movies.”
C Lakshmanan, associate professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies, argued that the AIADMK is rattled as is the Bharatiya Janata Party, widely seen as supportive of the AIADMK . “The AIADMK faces a leadership vacuum and Vijay could erode its support base. In the case of the saffron party, a young and energetic film star could deny the political space for communal polarisation and thereby prevent the BJP’s consolidation outside its traditional base in Kanniyakumari. Hence, the parties are in the forefront of opposition to Vijay,” he said.
Vijay’s father, film maker SA Chandrasekhar, declined comment. In the past, he has batted for his son’s entry into politics. The film’s producer Sun Pictures could not be reached for a comment.
Tamil Nadu BJP president Tamilisai Soundararajan debunked Vijay’s political ambitions even before Sarkar’s release: “Vijay can run a sarkar (govt) only in movies and not in real life.”
Film stars ar entitled to enter politics if they choose to do so, she said although they cannot expect to become chief ministers just on the back of their popularity. Soundararajan and Vijay are old antagonists. She took him over his previous blockbuster ‘Mersal’, which was highly critical of demonetisation.
Another BJP leader, Oagai Natarajan, said given the culture of film stars entering the political domain in Tamil Nadu, Vijay’s arrival was ‘unwelcome’.
Congress was more welcoming of Vijay’s likely entry in electoral politics. “Let him come and make clear his position on issues confronting the state and the nation. But unlike some others from the industry, he appears to be broadminded and accommodative of different sections and non-partisan. We welcome him. He has met our president Rahul Gandhi as well,” said Congress leader Peter Alphonse.
Tirupur Subramanian of the Coimbatore Film Exhibitors Association said: “We have acceded to the request to cut the objectionable scenes. The shows will continue from Friday. The decision was taken with the approval of the producer and the director as well as Vijay.”