In July this year, Tamil star Dhanush attended a blood donation and welfare event organised by his fan clubs. While this may not be something new for actors, what caught everyone’s attention was his speech about turning his fans’ unity into organised welfare activity. After unveiling an official fan-club flag, the Om star told his fans, “So many people have gathered in one place. There’s a great power in this kind of unity. We need to give that unity a purpose. Understand the needs of the people in your area, the families living around you, and help them in whatever way possible. Do whatever help you can for them. I need to feel even prouder of you. I believe you will do it.” All this immediately led to speculation about a possible political entry in Tamil Nadu by the Raayan star.
Now, Sivakarthikeyan has triggered a similar speculation about a possible political entry. The Sivakarthikeyan fan club administrators’ meeting was held in Chennai on October 4, and the actor’s speech that day is the hot topic of discussion on social media now. The Parasakthi star told the 2000 fans who had gathered there, “Everyone’s saying that I’m self-made; definitely I’m not self-made – I’m ‘people made’. When I entered cinema in 2012, Vijay Sethupathi and I were the only outsiders. 80% of the actors then had a cinema background. Many (in the industry) had questions about how an anchor (me) could become a hero. But the people never had that question.”
The Amaran star went on to talk about the criticism and flak he faces and told his fans, “There will always be people who judge us, question us, or have something to say about the things we do. That’s okay. We don’t need to take their words to heart. When someone hurts us or treats us badly, let’s not waste our time trying to get even. Instead, let’s focus on the people who stood by us, believed in us, and helped us become who we are today. The best way to respond is to keep growing and give back to those who supported us. No matter what we do, some people will criticize us. We can simply smile, enjoy our journey, and keep moving forward – be like a river; it doesn’t wait for the perfect path; it creates its own. And wherever it flows, it brings life and becomes useful to others.”
Talking about the event that day, Sivakarthikeyan spoke about how all of them had gathered under one roof not because of caste, religion, or creed but out of sheer love only. But the Tamil star did evoke the name of film legend and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MG Ramachandran during his speech, saying, “Just like Ratan Tata, Mother Teresa, Puratchi Thalaivar MGR, and Puratchi Kalaignar Vijayakanth – we continue to talk about them because of the good deeds they did without expecting anything in return. I believe that these good deeds will bring us a lot of good. We are not doing any of this with expectations. We are not doing this to show that we are bigger than someone, to oppose someone, or to prove that we are the biggest.” Reading books has helped him evolve and grow, the actor stated while encouraging his fans to read for at least 10 minutes a day.
One of the reasons the meeting triggered speculation about a possible political entry by the star was the scale of the meeting and the fact that these administrators came from across Tamil Nadu, including district, city, union, and area-level representatives. Moreover, all those who attended the meeting wore white shirts that gave the visual optics of a political conference. Sivakarthikeyan also reiterated the fact that he was a star made by the people and spoke about having a purpose in life. While he didn’t make any politically explicit statements, the timing of the gathering – like Dhanush’s – just after Vijay’s successful transition into politics, has increased speculation. Right now, social media is abuzz with comments about how Sivakarthikeyan is possibly laying the groundwork and building an organisation that could give him that option in the future.
Also Read: ‘No Hard Feelings’: Venkat Prabhu Addresses Rift Rumours With Sivakarthikeyan Over Shelved Film
