Rajinikanth, One of India’s Most Famous Actors, Is Launching a ‘Spiritual’ Political Party

Indian megastar Rajinikanth announced on Thursday, Dec. 3 that he was launching a political party. The actor’s promised party will contest in the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections to be held in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu in May 2021. 

Rajinikanth, 69, is one of the biggest celebrities in the south Indian film industry, Tollywood.

The actor, fondly called “thalaiva (leader)” by his fans announced through a tweet that his party would be a “non-corrupt, honest, transparent and secular party” with a “spiritual politics”. 

With more than 50,000 dedicated fan clubs in the state alone, Rajinikanth said on Twitter that his party would “definitely win the next elections”, and promised to announce an official launch date on Dec. 31. The announcement comes just weeks after he revealed his health concerns, and said he may not be in the best state to take a political plunge. 

The actor has said his decision to enter politics is to bring change in Tamil Nadu. However, due to his previous failed attempts, political experts are slightly sceptical if he will actually launch the  party.

Some believe that Rajinikanth’s entry into Tamil Nadu’s already complicated political scenario could shake things up if he played his cards right. Currently, the state is dominated by two rival regional political parties, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). 

Traditionally, the actor has played a crucial role in influencing Tamil Nadu elections. In 1996, he managed to sway the elections in favour of the DMK by saying that “even God cannot save Tamil Nadu” if people voted for Jayalalitha, former Chief Minister and leader of the AIADMK, who passed away in 2016. 

If launched, Rajinikanth’s party is also expected to cut into the vote share of the AIADMK.

Rajinikanth’s political pursuit is being compared to Vijaykanth, another actor-turned-politician who formed the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) party in 2005. The DMDK managed to get 10 percent of the vote share in 2006, and won 29 out of 39 seats in the state legislative assembly in 2011, emerging as the main opposition party. 

In India, especially in southern states, it is common for actors and celebrities to join politics. Jayalalitha, who served as the state’s Chief Minister for more than 14 years, was also a former actor and had even starred in films alongside Rajinikanth. NT Rama Rao, another huge name in Tollywood joined politics in the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh in 1982 and went on to become the Chief Minister.

In the upcoming elections, Rajinikanth is also expected to face off against Kamal Haasan, another megastar-turned-politician who formed his party in 2018. There is speculation that Rajinikanth may instead join hands with Haasan, who is his close friend. 

The megastar sparked further speculation of his party’s political leanings when he appointed Ra Arjunamurthy, the former president of  India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state unit’s intelligence wing as the chief coordinator of his fans’ association. The veteran actor has often expressed views that position as pro-BJP.

He extended support for controversial rulings of the BJP government, including the decision to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and the amended the citizenship law, which has been criticised for being discriminatory against the minorities of the country. The BJP is struggling to establish a stronghold in Tamil Nadu, after multiple failed attempts to make an impact.  

The actor’s net worth is estimated to be INR 3.76 billion ($51 million). He is revered as an invincible, larger-than-life figure thanks to the roles he has portrayed in films. His devout fans have even built a Rajinikanth temple dedicated to the actor. 

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