Chennai: A relationship born 42 years ago and marked by rivalry has leapt off the screen and thudded into the dusty terrain of Tamil Nadu with the paths of superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth set to cross in politics.
Kamal has announced that he will launch a party on February 21, close on the heels of Rajini signalling his intention to take the political plunge. Kamal has already flagged their ideological differences though he had suggested he was open to working with Rajini who remained non-committal even on Wednesday.
If the newest entrants indeed cross swords or embrace in the political arena, it will be an extraordinary culmination of a duel that began in 1975 on the sets of a movie called Apoorva Raagangal (Rare Melodies).
The movie gifted Kamal his first big break and launched an actor named Shivaji Rao Gaekwad who would eventually be christened Rajinikanth by its acclaimed director K. Balachander. The on-screen rivalry between the two actors has simmered since then although the astonishing rise of Rajinikanth in a matter of years made him far more popular than Kamal who had started his acting career 15 years earlier.
In a way, the film did set the tone that defined the careers of both Kamal and Rajini. Kamal is said to have learnt the mridangam, the south Indian percussion instrument, for seven months to bring perfection to his role - an eye for detail that became a hallmark of his acting career.
Rajini's very first shot had him throwing open the gates and making a grand entry - the mannerisms and panache eventually became his USP.
Regardless of the spectacular surge of M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) and Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu politics has proved a treacherous minefield for several other stars. The scramble now under way in the state is the fallout of an attempt to fill the vacuum created by the death of Jayalalithaa.
Kamal, 63, said on Wednesday that he would begin his political journey from Ramanathapuram, his native district. The 67-year-old Rajini had already announced that he would undertake a state-wide tour to strengthen his party that is yet to be named.
Kamal and Rajini shared the dais on Wednesday at a movie event but kept up the suspense on whether they would join hands or not. Asked about forging ties, Rajini wished Kamal well on his political plans and was quoted by PTI as saying: "Only time will be able to tell that. Let us see in due course of time."
Kamal had tacitly expressed his interest in working with Rajini in public life. Kamal wrote in his column in a popular Tamil magazine: "I'd not antagonise my friends to secure my position like usual politicians. Nor is the youth ready to continue under such leadership. I'd attempt to reach out to elders and friends too."
But Kamal had told CNN-News18 in September that he was a "rationalist" and Rajini was a "suitable ally" of the BJP.
"He seems like a more suitable ally for the saffron party because of his religious beliefs while I am a rationalist," Kamal had said.
While announcing his entry into politics, Rajini had said he wanted to usher in spiritual politics. "We have to create spiritual politics with no caste and religious barriers. My cornerstones will be honesty, transparency, secularism and spiritual politics. Spiritual politics according to me means fair and just politics," he had said.
Kamal is planning to launch a whistle-blower app this month. Maiyam Whistle, the app, aims to encourage and enable citizens to expose corruption in the state. Rajini has also launched an app to enrol his fans as party volunteers. Both are also banking on youths to form the backbone of their parties.
Great rivalries can end badly for one of the protagonists. MGR and Sivaji Ganesan were more or less contemporaries and competitors on screen. In politics, MGR scaled heights few have reached but the foray by Ganesan was disastrous.
Like Rajini, MGR was arguably more popular on screen than Ganesan whose acting prowess had won wide acclaim like that of Kamal.
A touch of irony here: Rajini did not merely share Ganesan's conferred first name ("Sivaji", after the thespian donned the role of the Maratha king). Rajini is said to have tried to imitate Ganesan at the audition for Apoorva Raagangal but Balachander, the filmmaker, advised the newcomer to develop his own style.
Like Rajini and unlike Kamal, Ganesan was not a rationalist. A trip by Ganesan to the Tirupati temple had drawn such withering criticism from the DMK that he left the party.
Both Rajini and Kamal (and MGR and Ganesan) nurtured a healthy respect for each other though fans could never agree who among the pair was a better actor.
Finally, the two are entering an arena where acting skills do count far more than in the world of make-believe.
