Cinema fame doesn’t guarantee political success, says Rajinikanth

Chennai, October 1

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Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth today said fame and clout earned in the world of cinema were not enough to help one make a mark in politics and stressed there was something beyond these attributes that ensured success in public affairs.

Rajinikanth said his contemporary Kamal Haasan possibly knew what that something was, but might not want to share the secret with him. The two stars were among a host of dignitaries at the inauguration of a memorial to iconic actor Sivaji Ganesan constructed by the Tamil Nadu Government.

Rajinikanth cited the instance of the late thespian, saying he could not succeed in politics despite being immensely popular. “Sivaji (Ganesan) has left a lesson not just in cinema, but also in politics. He started his own political party, fought and lost (elections) from his own constituency. This was not an insult to him,” he said at 

the function, attended by Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Haasan, among others.

“So, the message is, to succeed in politics, it’s not enough to just have fame and clout (earned in cinema). There is something beyond that... I don’t know what it is,” he said, adding that Kamal Haasan possibly knew what that was.

“But even if he knows it, he won’t share it with me,” he said, as the gathering laughed. — PTI

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