D.B.S.Jeyaraj
The recent announcement by Tamil Cinema Superstar Rajinikanth that he would be forming a political party to contest all 234 seats in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly at the forthcoming May 2021 elections has led to much speculation and excitement. An immediate consequence of Rajinikanth’s political announcement was the inevitable comparison with the yester-year actor turned politician M. G. Ramachandran known generally as M. G. R. While Sivaji Rao Gaekward alias Rajinikanth has been dominating Tamil cinema for the past four decades, Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran a.k.a.MGR ruled the Tamil movidom for three decades until becoming Chief minister of India’s Tamil Nadu state in 1977. MGR served as chief minister (CM) for ten years until his demise in 1987. His 33rd death anniversary will be commemorated this week on December 24th.
There is also the fact that Rajinikanth is neither a Tamil nor a South Indian. MGR born in Sri Lanka was a Malayalee hailing from Kerala. He grew up in Tamil Nadu and was active in politics for decades before forming a party and becoming CM
In his roles, MGR always fought for the underdog against tyranny and injustice. He took special care to project a social message in most songs and took care to act in different roles so that different segments of the population could relate to and identify with him.
The MGR phenomenon was no doubt unique, and his mystique continues its hold over Tamil psyche even today. Before his death, he had come to personify the aspirations of the common people but as more than just a symbol