The Nadigar Sangam election is heating up the Kollywood with two factions trying their best to woo as many actors as possible. Actor Vishal's Pandavar Ani faction is taking on Sarath Kumar's group for the key positions at the actors' guild, which is also known as the South Indian Film Artistes' Association (SIFAA).
Sarath Kumar and his supporters have been in power for nine years. The elections for various positions, including the post of the president and secretary, are held every three years and Kumar was chosen unanimously in his third tenure without any opposition in 2012.
His good relationship with the ruling parties in the state government has helped him to remain in power for so long in the industry, where politics and cinema go hand-in-hand. However, his style of functioning came under scanner from a section of its members when the guild signed a deal with Sathyam Cinemas.
This led many members to wave red flags against the president and other members. Vishal formed Pandavar Ani to take on the ruling members. Soon, actors like Nasser, Ponvannan, Karunas and Karthi joined him.
When the election approached in 2015, Sarath Kumar insisted on conducting it on Wednesday, 15 July. But Vishal approached the court seeking to shift the date to a second Sunday to allow all members to vote. The court passed a verdict in favour of Pandavar Ani and announced that it will be held on 18 October.
With less than a month to go, both the factions are busy campaign for the elections. While Sarath Kumar has brought Simbu into his camp, the Pandavar Ani has successfully convinced many including Vivek to join them. It is also speculated that Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are also in favour of the young team.
The latest buzz is that Prakash Raj has supported Pandavar Ani. However, many actors have refused to endorse either of the parties in the open.
Meanwhile, actress and politician Khushboo seems to have given her support to Vishal's team. Though she has not directly announced it, the actress, in an interview, expressed her unhappiness over the present state of affairs in Nadigar Sangam.
