The Thalaiva Factor

At atime when Bollywood Is churning out propagandist narratives, south cinema, too, has Stories to tell

- Basav Biradar

TO the south of the Vindhyas, cinema and politics have enjoyed an intense symbiotic relationship with each other, often blurring the lines between reel and real life. It is not a surprise then that the silver screen has given four chief ministers—N T Rama Rao, M G Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi—and several political parties to the region. 

The beginnings of this phenomenon can be traced back to the iconic Parasakthi (1952). Made three years after the formation of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Parasakthi was written by Karunanidhi, and Sivaji Ganesan starred in the lead role. The film begins with a song sequence whose lyrics start with the line “long live Dravida Naadu” and goes on to extol the glory of the Dravidian heritage—both natural and cultural, including allusions to Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu.

Set in the 1940s during World War II, the narrative deals with the story of a middle-class family of three brothers who have migrated to Rangoon to earn a livelihood and a sister who lives with her father back in Madurai as they go through the struggles of life caused due to a series of tragic incidents. Within this family drama, the filmmakers pack strong political messaging, delivering all the pet themes of the DMK—social justice, rationalism, anti-religious order, anti-superstition, anti-north India and, most importantly, blaming the Congress party for the sad state of Tamil Nadu, which was once a part of the glorious “Dravida Naadu”.