Will Rajinikanth be BJP mascot in Tamil Nadu?

The Tamil film industry is overjoyed with its ‘superstar’ Rajinikanth being awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian honour. Accolades have poured in and continue to do so for the mercurial matinee idol, cutting across political affiliations.

The fact is that it has come a good 16 years after the 65-year-old star was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2000, a recognition which was accorded to his onscreen rival Kamal Haasan only in 2014.

By now, it is beyond doubt that whatever the political formation is ruling Delhi, the Padma awards have always been seen as those which will accrue only to the list of favourites of the ruling party.

If that is the premise, then it can safely be a matter of political speculation that the NDA alliance has targeted Tamil Nadu by deploying the award route to woo potential winners.

For nearly 25 years, Rajinikanth has been an enigma for politicians in his home State as also those who have waited for his much-expected entry into mainstream politics.

Even as his counterparts in neighbouring film industries like Chiranjeevi made a grand entry and exit in the recent past, the star whose commercial value has now touched international levels preferred adopting a confusing and contradicting approach.

From the fiery punch dialogues of his in 1992, coinciding with the release of one of his films Annamalai where he allegedly took Jayalalithaa head-on, the Dravidian politicians have realised the incremental value that their parties would have if he leaned one way or the other.

Every major political party in Tamil Nadu, in election after election, has been vying with one other to milk the tremendous fan following and support he enjoys in the State.

For his part, Rajini has maintained cordial relations with everyone, even having the then PM aspirant Narendra Modi visiting him at his Chennai residence during the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

This time around, the local BJP unit, soon after the award announcements were made, recollected the support lent by Rajini to the earlier NDA government of Vajpayee.

With his current political equation with Jayalalithaa in the ‘politically correct’ phase, the superstar, with a major film release – Kabali – ahead of the impending elections will be keenly watched once again.

What would be interesting to watch is the entire range being thought of by BJP to win Tamil Nadu, as reports emerge that even in Kerala, they have assembled a list of cinema stars to contest the forthcoming elections.

In a recent news report, it was mentioned that action hero Suresh Gopi, known for his police officer and crime investigation roles, is being offered a seat in the forthcoming assembly elections in God’s Own Country.

Political speculation is also rife about how the current cine star Vijayakant, who was an NDA ally during the 2014 elections, is playing hard to get, even insisting that he be made the Chief Minister if Modi and Shah want to enter the Dravidian bastion.

It would be then a prudent move by BJP, one surmises, to make attempts to woo the biggest star in the State, rather than be encumbered by the second-rung star-turned-politicians who are yet to touch the zenith like Rajinikanth.

It is now common knowledge that the severely-pressurised NDA government, having had many setbacks at the political battleground all over the country, has to start looking at the list of opportunities that 2016 affords, all afresh. Who knows, Rajinikanth, may be the lucky mascot after all!