Tamil actor Vijay and the cinematic politics of “Dravidian” Tamil Nadu

Meanwhile actor Vijay's ill-fated TVP rally and its aftermath have drawn much attention to the peculiar politics of Tamil Nadu.

- By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

One is the continuous rule of Dravidian political parties. Two regional parties namely the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have been governing the state alternately since 1967. The other is the influence of films and film personalities in the political sphere.

Dravidian party dominance

Dravidian party dominance in Tamil Nadu and the influence of cinema in Tamil Nadu politics are both interrelated issues. In a sense the rise of Dravidian politics and growing influence of cinema on politics were processes that complemented each other.

The fact that a leading actor like Vijay could launch his own political party and aspire to be the future chief minister of Tamil Nadu is mainly due to the "cinematic politics" ecosystem prevailing in the state. It is against this backdrop that this column - with the aid of earlier writings - focuses on the evolution and growth of cinematic politics in "Dravidian" Tamil Nadu.

Independence struggle

The involvement of popular artistes in Indian politics dates back to the struggle for Indian independence. Back then it was more a case of singers, musicians and drama artistes involving themselves at a provincial level, where explicit and implicit messages extolling the virtues of Mahatma Gandhi and independence were conveyed to the audience. Social reform was also advocated.

Congress party leader Sathiyamurthy was one who recognised the political potential of actors and singers and began utilising their services in the Tamil speaking areas of the former Madras presidency. The singer-actor KB Sundarambal and the TKS Brothers Drama troupe being glittering examples in this sphere.