Reinvention Of Kamal Haasan As A Politician

There has been a burning ambition in Kamal Haasan (named Parthasarathy Srinivasan at birth) to be counted as a force in politics. None in Tamil Nadu may ever come close to MGR and his protégé J Jayalalithaa in terms of switching from films to politics and capturing the hearts of the people. When Kamal stepped in, it was with a view to making an impact in politics. Little did he know then that he would be a bigger flop than even the thespian Sivaji Ganesan. To Kamal’s credit, he is not giving up. His journey to the Bharat Jodo Yatra was to cement his place in the DMK-Rahul equation while abandoning his old association with Arvind Kejriwal when he was a political novitiate. The DMK is looking for a broader alliance to take on the AIADMK-BJP front that is the main opposition in Tamil Nadu and towards this would like to invite the likes of Kamal Haasan and even the caste-based PMK to join a broad-based alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Kamal’s consorting with Rahul Gandhi has enhanced his image and Chief Minister MK Stalin is known to be a fervent admirer. Voters may not understand Kamal’s politics, but their votes will be his if he stands with DMK support in his chosen western Tamil Nadu base of Coimbatore.