Kamal Haasan founded the political party Makkal Needhi Maiam. It created ripples but time passed and the ripples vanished in the still waters of not much. Makkal Needhi Maiam can be termed a flop. Kamal Hassan’s supporters did not turn into a sea of voters for MNM. Kamal Haasan the actor sat on his laurels and but for the ‘MK-family’ of MK Stalin and Udayanidhi Stalin, Haasan wouldn’t have been Rajya Sabha MP.

Now, says Kamal Haasan, just because a leader happens to attract huge crowds does not mean the turnout will convert into votes. Haasan is referring to Vijay Joseph, fellow actor and also fellow politician. Vijay is the latest actor kid on the block and he is the founder of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), with the goal to upset political apple-carts left, right and centre.

And Vijay Joseph is drawing massive crowds, young men and women, middle-aged women and aging women, grandmothers. And the youth, between the age of 15-29, the so-called demographic dividend, young people who grew up on a diet of Vijay films, many of which are based on semi-political and social-relevant themes. Vijay Joseph has just got into the political act and there’s talk he will do an MGR and become Chief Minister just like MGR did.

Is that possible? It is possible, this is Tamil Nadu after all and by and by Vijay Joseph might do the MGR he is expected to do. But Kamal Haasan doesn’t see promise. He says this norm applies to him as well as actor-politician Vijay. Haasan believes the fledgling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam will go the MNM way.

The “entire crowd will not get converted into votes,” says Haasan about Vijay's rallies. "It is for sure, it will not get converted into votes, it is applicable to all leaders," said Haasan, with experience speaking. "When it is applicable to all leaders, how can we exclude Vijay? It is applicable to me and all the leaders in India, you have attracted crowd but that will not get converted into votes."

For obvious reasons Kamal Haasan won’t bet on Vijay; Hassan’s loyalties are to the DMK. And Vijay Joseph’s TVK is a clear and present danger to the ruling dispensation. The DMK is watching with bated breath and TVK cadres are taking over public thoroughfares and squares, climbing temple domes and hoarding scaffolds. The hooliganism on display is in itself something to wary of, what will come on voting day?

Haasan has a piece of advice for Vijay, "Go on the right path, proceed with courage and do good for the people and this is my appeal to all leaders." Criticism is there in cinema too and aspiring actors9 are also criticised. So, do people, the electorate, witness to the large gatherings at Vijay's rallies agree with Haasan that support would not become votes?

Vijay addressed the issue himself at a rally, asking people: "They say this is an empty gathering which will not vote, Is this an empty gathering?” The massive crowd replied with chants of "Vijay, Vijay" and a pledge to vote for the TVK. Vijay said TVK's objective is to usher in a "true democracy, one that has a conscience."

But politics has nothing to do with conscience. Which politician ever had a conscience? Not one and Kamal Haasan is inadvertently or deliberately misleading Vijay. Haasan has an axe to grind. May be some of the crowds at Vijay’s rallies wouldn’t vote for the maverick politician but the majority sound like they would. Kamal Haasan knows this as well as the late Vijaykanth’s party and Rajnikanth, who too had ventured into politics but then thought otherwise.

Vijay Joseph’s political spirits are high and the spirits of his supporters are even higher. The kind of fanbase Vijay attracts cannot be dismissed or laughed away. The widespread disorder seen wherever Vijay goes is being cited as typical of the man himself. The logistical disruptions, the change of venue and schedule; the “chaos” disturbing and disrupting both public and police, Vijay Joseph is not “vote worthy”.

Vijay’s rallies are being painted as “haywire”. Ask the police. The youth who attend these rallies and the YouTube and reel kind. The dance in the streets and within the hour, Vijay and his rallies are trending in Social Media The Bharatiya Janata Party has termed Vijay’s TVK as the DMK’s “B-Team”, which is far from the truth but serves the NDA alliance which includes the BJP and the fragmented AIADMK.

End of story, Kamal Hassan’s projection “Vijay’s supporters wont’s turn into votes” is doubtful. Something grand is happening in Tamil Nadu and it does remind of MGR. The groundswell is just beginning to show and media as well as politicians as also the hoi polloi, if they want to witness history in the making, they should keep their eyes open and an ear to the ground. Miss this saga through its twists and turns and miss and miss the woods for the tree. (IPA Service)