In Tamil Nadu, cinema and politics are believed to have an umbilical cord connection, with Kollywood contributing tall leaders like M G Ramachandran, M Karunanidhi, and J Jayalalithaa to the state’s political landscape.
Even Chief Minister M K Stalin had acted in movies like Ore Raththam (1987) and Makkal Aanayittal (1988) in key roles.
Hence, when one of the industry’s biggest superstars, Kamal Haasan, launched his political outfit called Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), expectations were high. However, even after four years, he could not make his mark in the electoral battlefield, earning only around a 3.7 per cent vote share in the