The tryst between Dravidian politics and Tamil cinema
As Tamil Nadu heads for elections today, a closer look at the evolution of cinema as a medium for political propaganda and on those who have wielded this tool over time
Cinema, in the form of documentaries, short lms, feature lms, and even animated cartoons, has long been used as a medium to shed light on major events or social conditions to inform and agitate the masses. Our Western counterparts have been utilising
lms since the days of World War I. In India, lms on anti-British propaganda started the movement against British rule and to date, the medium has proved to be a formidable tool for spreading ideologies in the country, especially in Tamil Nadu where the lines between the two elds often crossover. The State has had ve Chief Ministers from the world of cinema (excluding the current CM M.K. Stalin who tried his luck in acting with Ore Raththam in 1987).
The architects of this assemblage
Fascinatingly, the current ruling party of Tamil Nadu, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) was the one that understood the power of stage plays and
lms, such as Thyaga Bhoomi (1939) and
Mathru Bhoomi (1939), to penetrate the minds of the masses before Independence. They began using lms extensively, so much so that Indian National Congress leader K. Kamaraj asked if actors can manage presiding over a State. After Independence, four Congress leaders — including C. Rajagopalachari and Kamaraj — ruled the State until 1967 when administrative power went to the hands of Dravidian parties. C.N. Annadurai was the rst leader from a Dravidian party to become Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (then
Madras State).
An excellent orator and writer, Annadurai pushed his ideologies through his writing that were made into lms like
Velaikari (1949), which was inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, Nallathambi (1949) which was adapted from the Hollywood lm Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and Or Iravu (1951). The lms focussed on the disparity between castes and classes and promoted social justice and education. Speaking of Velaikari and Or Iravu, their lead actor K.R. Ramasamy, who previously staged both stories as plays, is said to be the rst Tamil actor to dabble in politics. Not only was he a close follower and con dante of Anna, but his plays — which he continued after turning into a lm star — doubled as fundraisers for the DMK.
Parallely, M. Karunanidhi, who as a high school student created the Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram, the Dravidian Movement’s rst student wing, turned into a screenwriter with the M.G. Ramachandran (MGR)-starrer Rajakumari (1947). For MGR, an emerging actor at the time who predominantly starred in romance and action lms, it was Karunanidhi’s writing in lms such as
Maruthanad Elavarasee (1950) and
Manthiri Kumari (1950) that gave him his big break.
While we are at it, around the same time a young boy joined a drama troupe and worked his way up to play the lead in the stage play Shivaji Kanda Hindu Rajyam written by C.N. Annadurai in the 1940s that was presided over by Periyar E. V. Ramasami, who was then leading the
Udhayanidhi Stalin campaigning at Chintadripet on April 13. VEDHAN. M
Dravidar Kazhagam and the self-respect movement. It was he who christened this man, V.C. Ganesan, to Sivaji Ganesan.
When Sivaji Ganeshan made his lm debut with Parasakthi (1952) — alongside another actor-politician S.S. Rajendran — penned by Karunanidhi, the lm was so politically charged that the then-ruling State government demanded that the lm should be banned. However, the lm, which commented on the caste system, went on to acquire a cult status. By then many proli c actors such as N.S. Krishnan and M.R. Radha made sure their characters were an extension of their personal ideologies which aligned with the Dravidian movement.
The grand split
MGR, in 1972, founded the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) as a breakaway faction from the DMK after an altercation with Karunanidhi. MGR’s persona from lms which portrayed him as a friend and saviour of the downtrodden mirrored his real-life actions where he carried out philanthropic services. This led to a landslide victory for the AIADMK in the 1977 State elections and MGR was Chief Minister until his death in 1987. Soon after his death, the party was split into two factions between his widow V. N. Janaki and Jayalalitha, a leading actor from 1965 whom MGR had collaborated with multiple times. When Janaki retired, Jayalalitha joined the two factions and served six terms as the Chief Minister.
A love-hate relationship
The direct equation the two elds of Tamil cinema and politics shared took a back seat after the death of MGR. The 90s, an important decade for Tamil cinema, saw very little on the political front by those from the lm industry.
In the mid-90s, it was speculated that Rajinikanth might take the plunge into
politics but the actor decided against it. Though he would go on to announce his entry into politics in 2017, he eventually dissolved his organisation in 2021 and armed that he won’t be entering politics. His peer and close friend Kamal Haasan formed the centrist party Makkal Needhi Maiam in 2018. His party failed to win a seat in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, and despite securing 2.62% of the votes, Kamal himself lost in the Coimbatore South constituency by a slender margin. He opted out of this year’s Lok Sabha elections and instead campaigned for the DMK-led alliance.
Over the last few decades, many actors gave politics a shot albeit with comparatively less success. Multihyphenate T. Rajendar, a long-time supporter of the DMK, launched his own party the All India Latchiya Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. R. Sarathkumar established the All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi and had previously served as a member of the Rajya Sabha and the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly. He recently merged his party with the BJP. Actor Napoleon joined DMK and served as the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment from 2009 to 2013. Director Seeman started the Naam Tamilar Iyakkam during the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War which has now become the Naam Tamilar Katchi and is elding 39 candidates in the 2024 elections.
Cinema as politics
While many actors took the political plunge during and after their heyday within the lm industry, there were a slew of actors/technicians who used the medium to re¤ect on the political situations of that particular era. Interestingly, most of them took the satirical route. Cho Ramaswamy was one of the earliest political satirists who infused jabs at that period’s political moves in the lms in which he starred as a comedian. It was also the underlying theme for his directorial Muhammad bin Tughluq (1971).
K. Balachander brought in a new wave of lms which were centred on social themes and interpersonal relationships mostly with a woman protagonist. His
lm Achamillai Achamillai (1984) satirises the Indian political system and the toll it takes on small-time politicians while
Thanneer Thanneer (1981) dealt with everyday problems caused by corruption. Probably the most famous lm in the genre which has become synonymous with political satires has to be Manivannan’s Amaidhi Padai (1994). With a strong political acumen, Manivannan’s directorial ventures — like Palaivana Rojakkal (1986) written by M. Karunanidhi — as well as the supporting roles he played in Thai Maaman (1994), Villadhi Villain (1995), Ellame En Pondattithaan (1998) and Mudhalvan (1999) were replete with political references delivered comically.
The late 90s and early 2000s saw a plethora of political lms such as biopics on yesteryear political leaders as well as
ctional takes such as Makkal Aatchi
(1995) and a slew of Shankar lms on social issues like Gentleman (1993), Indian (1996), Mudhalvan, Anniyan (2005) and
Sivaji: The Boss (2007). Mani Ratnam, apart from making lms such as Roja
(1992) and Bombay (1995) that have politics as a canvas on which his plots are mounted, also made Iruvar (1997), inspired by the lives of Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa, which has become a textbook example of political dramas in Tamil cinema. In the contemporary Tamil
lm scene, there have been a fair share of political satires such as Saguni (2012), Joker (2016) and Tughlaq Durbar (2021) as well as entertainers with a political backdrop like (2011), Kodi (2016), Sarkar (2018), and Kodiyil Oruvan (2021).
KoA new wave on the horizon
In the last decade, lmmakers like Pa Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj (with lms such as Pariyerum Perumal, Karnan and Maamannan) and Vetrimaaran (Visaranai, Asuran and Viduthalai) have introduced Tamil lm audiences to a new wave of socio-political lms that put anti-caste themes in the front and centre of Tamil cinema. Ranjith — whose directorials include politically charged lms like Madras, Kaala and Natchathiram Nagargiradhu — apart from also producing such lms, extends his social work in various forms like the Neelam Cultural Center and Vaanam Art Festival. Apart from them, works of lmmakers like Ram, Manikandan, Raju Murugan, Gopi Nainar and Lenin Bharathi have held a mirror to the sociopolitical issues and how they plague the lives of commoners.
Tamil cinema’s tryst with its purveyors doubling it as a launch pad into politics shows no signs of stopping. The son of the State’s current Chief Minister, Udhayanidhi, who entered the industry as a producer and distributor-turned-actor, contested and won in the 2021 elections before being sworn in as Minister in Youth Welfare and Sports Development.
Probably the biggest announcement from the world of Tamil lm in recent times came earlier this year when Vijay announced the launch of his political party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam. The actor, who announced his foray into politics at the peak of his career, declared that his party would enter the electoral fray in the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
2024 marks the 80th year of Periyar starting Dravidar Kazhagam which gave rise to the parties that have ruled the
State since 1967. Cinema and politics, in various degrees of intensity, have remained intertwined since then. lm