There is no solid proof that invoking the late AIADMK icon M G Ramachandran’s name helps political parties win votes. Yet, 40 years after his death, parties in Tamil Nadu continue to compete in claiming his legacy.TVK president Vijay, for instance, has made it a point to mention MGR in all his recent speeches, even comparing the criticism he faces now to what MGR encountered when he founded AIADMK in 1972.
With AIADMK weakened by electoral setbacks, party leaders still cling to the legacy of the late chief minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has been invoking MGR’s name.“At a lunch hosted by my friend, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, one of the songs sung was ‘Naalai namathe’, from a movie starring the great MGR! Anwar Ibrahim, like several of us in India, is a big fan of MGR!” Modi posted on X during his visit to Malaysia last month.Chief minister M K Stalin too often speaks about his bond with MGR. In one event, he said he likes songs from old MGR films, and in another, referred to the late leader as “periyappa”.The BJP, too, has dipped into the MGR legacy. During L Murugan’s 2020 Vel Yatra, the party played MGR songs and punchlines, and even compared Modi to him.The intent was clear, to borrow the aura, and hope the appeal follows. It didn’t.“It is natural that no one can do politics without talking about MGR. Every MGR fan turned his worshiper after his death. This tradition continues as they consider him like a ‘kula theivam’ (family deity), leading his legacy to continue to shine forever,” says former minister S Semmalai, a fan turned MGR follower.But political observers say that using MGR’s name does not automatically bring votes or long-term support. At a broader level, what these political actors seek is to present themselves as the principal alternative to the DMK, the role MGR originally carved for himself through AIADMK.The renewed references to MGR are seen as a fallout of a perceived weakening of AIADMK. The party’s vote share fell from about 40% in the 2016 Assembly election to 33.3% in 2021. In the Lok Sabha polls, it dropped from 30.6% in 2019 to roughly between 20.5% and 23.3% in 2024.The party’s political standing has also been affected by factionalism and the absence of a unifying figure such as the late J Jayalalithaa, who held the party together and retained key support blocs, particularly women voters. It is this vacuum that has encouraged new entrants and existing players to claim MGR’s legacy, hoping to appeal to the late icon’s vote base.Political observers say those invoking MGR seek to tap three elements associated with him: welfare politics, mass appeal and the anti-DMK political space he created. But this strategy has clear limits. Referring to MGR does not automatically translate into goodwill or a stable vote base.The latest entrant to the TN political scene, Vijay, features cut‑outs of MGR at his political meetings, ensuring he draws parallels with the actor-politician every chance he gets, reminding supporters that the late leader too was dismissed as a political novice, underestimated until he unseated the M Karunanidhi-led DMK regime in 1977.“But Vijay lacks the quality possessed by MGR. His movies don’t have a social message or political approach like MGR’s did,” says political writer Rajan Kurai.“The only similarity between Vijay and MGR is that both entered politics at the peak of their cinema careers. The similarity ends there,’’ says political commentator Suguna Diwakar. “MGR was able to connect with people across caste, religion, and class, which helped him build a strong following, which Vijay has not managed.”Rajan believes much of MGR’s goodwill was built long before he assumed office as chief minister in 1977. It was an image cultivated over two decades,” says Rajan.S Thirunavukkarasar, a former minister in MGR’s cabinet, says it is natural for actors entering politics to draw parallels with MGR. “Invoking MGR is natural for anyone coming from the cinema field. But MGR helped others with his hard‑earned money and continued it through schemes when he became the chief minister,” he says.In 1991, Thirunavukkarasar founded a party, Anna Puratchi Thalaivar Thamilaga Dravida Kazhagam, named after MGR, later renamed MGR Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, before merging it with BJP in 2002.K C Palanisamy, who was one of the youngest legislators in AIADMK under MGR, says anyone comparing himself with MGR will fail because people will never accept a “duplicate”.Former AIADMK MLA J C D Prabakar, who has joined TVK, says the timing of Vijay’s political entry is crucial as people are “desperately looking for an alternative” to challenge the two Dravidian majors. “After MGR, Vijay commands a strong fan following cutting across age and gender. Like MGR, he is a good man and has been helping people through his fan club, Vijay Makkal Iyakkam, for a long time. These fervent admirers could turn into a wave, as happened in 1977,” he says.AIADMK leaders say none can take away MGR followers from AIADMK. “By recalling MGR, new entrants only further his legacy, but the benefits remain intact with AIADMK and its two-leaves symbol,” says AIADMK organising secretary D Jayakumar.SCREEN TESTTVK president Vijay, who compares himself to MGR, is not the first actor-politician to do so. Bhagyaraj made a brief attempt in 1989. DMDK’s Vijayakant came closest, earning the label “Karuppu MGR” through a mix of screen roles and personal charity. Kamal Haasan called MGR his “vaathiyaar” claiming he “grew up on his lap” and named his election tour in Feb 2018 ‘Naalai Namathe’ after the MGR movie
