Tamil Nadu claims to be a very progressive state. However, it’s a state where a huge premium is placed on caste, especially for an actor who enters politics. While it may seem that any actor in Tamil Nadu can make it easily into politics, a caste neutral identity plays a huge factor in both his popularity as an actor as well his easily facilitating his entry into politics.
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Tamil Nadu’s iconic chief minister and a former actor MG Ramachandra was a Malayali with roots in Kerala. Actor Vijaykanth, who won 29 seats in 2011, was from a Telugu speaking family settled in the state. Joseph Vijay is a Christian and that makes him appealing across the caste faultlines. By virtue of being a Christian, he does not come under any caste hierarchy and its accompanying labels.
“A leader should be a universal leader cutting across caste, religion, and language barriers and our leader does that. That is the greatest difference,” said KG Arun Raj, TVK, General Secretary for policy and propaganda, on Vijay’s popularity and acceptance.
Why is a caste neutral film politician so acceptable? While the Dravida movement uprooted the Brahmanical supremacy over other castes, the rest of the castes are still at loggerheads with each other trying to dominate in the rural regions of the state. In the hinterland, a candidate will simply not win if he does not belong to the caste dominating the constituency. For example, if a candidate from the Vanniyar community contests in a seat where the Paraiyars are in a majority, then he is more likely to lose. This goes for every other community.
Also Read | Tamil Nadu Assembly Elections: Minority votes to move from DMK to TVK, says party leaderNot having an identity that can be linked to any caste in Tamil Nadu is a huge plus, not just for politics but also in films. There are more chances for an actor who is not linked to any caste in Tamil Nadu to be a popular actor adored by the masses.
While many outside Tamil Nadu wonder about why Rajnikanth’s mass popularity borders on hysteria, there is more to his quirks or larger than life antics in films. Rajnikanth was born as Shivaji Rao Gaikwad, a Maharashtrian in Bangalore. His popularity across the state among every community and his near entry into politics was again because of his lack of an identifiable caste in Tamil Nadu.
How deep is the caste identity embedded in the psyche of the Tamil Nadu people? In several Tamil Nadu villages, for instance, where communities still live in ghettos, you would find a huge cut of an actor belonging to that community.
An example, if you enter a portion of a village where the Thevar community lives, then you would find a huge cut out of actor Prabhu, son of legendary actor Sivaji Ganesan from the Thevar community. In the same village, where the Nadar community lives a similar cut out of Sarath Kumar will dominate.
While actors by virtue of being brilliant in their craft are accepted in films, and may be popular too, but they cannot replicate their success once they enter into politics due to the caste baggage. Sivaji Ganesan, an acclaimed actor, could not make a mark in politics. Regardless of the actor’s calibre or popularity, the caste factor does not leave you even if you claim that you are not part of the system.
Actor Kamal Haasan was born in a Brahmin Iyengar family. As he entered politics in 2021 and repeatedly reminded everyone that he is an atheist. He still lost the only election he fought.
In 1916 the Dravida movement was launched in the state to end caste discrimination, a hundred years later in 2016, caste is a factor that still dominates every sphere of life, films and politics in the state.
