"I can’t figure this debate. Was Nathuram Godse an assassin? Yes. Would you call him a terrorist in today’s terminology? Yes. Did he kill the Mahatma because he thought he was being unfair to Hindus? Yes. Was he a member of the Hindu Mahasabha? Yes."
--Pritish Nandy.
Self-aggrandisement, self-delusion and exaggerated ambitions could wreak havoc on your life and work. This is the message actor-politician Kamal Haasan conveys to me.
He was once, when he used to work under renown directors, an excellent actor.
He was once, when he used to work under renown directors, an excellent actor.
Later on, when he started playing the Sakalakala Vallavan (virtuoso of all arts) in reel and real life, the colossal over-excessiveness of him drove one sick.
Currently the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder seems to be maintaining a low profile in the wake of the controversy that has erupted over his Hindu extremist remark. It should have taken its toll on him. He appears to have decided to wait till May 23, when Lok Sabha poll results would be out, to speak to the media or, so says his spokesperson.
In politics things are not working for him as he would have wished is my guess. If he had expected to capitalize on his 'star value' to succeed in politics he should be disappointed by now.
He is an also -ran in the election. But the results would throw light on--MNM's symbol is torchlight-- what is in store for Kamal Haasan the politician in the near future.
Haasan and T.T.V.Dinakaran are apparently running for third position in the polls. If Dinakaran is a savvy politician Haasan is a novice who is struggling to gain a foothold in politics.
The fact that Kamal Haasan is new to politics and non-corrupt has endeared a section of neutral voters to vote for him. But stalked by controversies and isolation how long Haasan would succeed in keeping up the momentum in politics remains a moot point.
He calls himself an atheist. His 'Hey Ram' left many liberal friends fuming. They dubbed him an RSS propagandist. His Vishwaroopam was seen as 'anti-Muslim.' In politics, he didn't hesitate to criticise the BJP and AIADMK. But harping on 'corruption' distanced him from the DMK. He rather failed to recognize that this election was not about corruption but about ousting a pro-Hindutva nationalist government from power.
He calls himself an atheist. His 'Hey Ram' left many liberal friends fuming. They dubbed him an RSS propagandist. His Vishwaroopam was seen as 'anti-Muslim.' In politics, he didn't hesitate to criticise the BJP and AIADMK. But harping on 'corruption' distanced him from the DMK. He rather failed to recognize that this election was not about corruption but about ousting a pro-Hindutva nationalist government from power.
At the zenith of the controversy over his movie Vishwaroopam in January 2013--it was banned by then chief minister J.Jayalalithaa after Muslim outfits took offence to some scenes in the movie-- Kamal Haasan declared he would leave the country.
This time round, it is the Hindu outfits led by the BJP and its ally AIADMK which were after Kamal Haasan for his assertion during an election rally in Aravakurichi that an Hindu, Nathuram Godse, was the first extremist of independent India.
There is no love lost for him among many of my friends. Not me yet. But one thing is sure: the so-called 'superstars' Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth live (just like their movies) in self-delusion and they drive their fans to the same pit.
ENDS
No comments:
Post a Comment