'Rajinikanth'll be dead before reaching Tirupur': Tamil actor-director targets superstar over political entry

Rajinikanth's entry into politics has been a highly debated matter. From wondering whether the actor can handle all that comes with a political career to whether or not he has the makings of a good politician. The fact still remains, that he has announced his entry and little will change that.

Recently, R Sundarrajan the Tamil director had delivered a speech in which he discussed Rajinikanth's foray into the field of politics. He came down heavily on the superstar, drawing comparisons with MGR and explaining why the actor would not be suited to politics. 

R Sundarrajan says "Rajini will never be MGR"

At the celebrations of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's 72nd birth anniversary, R Sundarrajan made a speech on politics. In the speech he hailed MGR's impact as a politician, "Teachers were happy when Anna, a teacher, became Chief Minister, but none of them wanted to become chief ministers, following his route. Although, after MGR became chief minister, all actors without considering their qualifications wanted to become actors."

Sundarrajan then went on to address Rajinikanth's political aspirations, "If Rajinikanth starts a political party and conducts the first meeting in Coimbatore before he reaches Tirupur itself, he will pass away. That is the state of his body condition."

Drawing more comparisons between superstar Rajinikanth and MGR, he said, "MGR never killed villains in his movies, while all actors including Rajini, Vijay or Ajith have punished villains at the end. The role of of a king too only suited MGR, and that getup looked awkward on Rajini, Vijay, Ajith, and everybody. How can they aspire to the throne he sat on?" The director went on to criticize other politicians like Stalin and parties such as DMK. 

Can Rajini be MGR?

Rajinikanth in 2018 discussed in a speech, the association between him and MGR, and that while he was not MGR he could provide a pro-poor rule as he did. However, many have drawn up the comparison. DMK has been opposed to Rajinikanth especially after his controversial Periyar remark in January 2020. The party's spokespeople also questioned the capacity of the actor in politics.

Vijay's father SA Chandrasekhar had also called Rajinikanth an 'outsider' recently, who had previously supported the actor. Ever since Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth announced their entry into politics, they've disrupted the political topography of Tamil Nadu inviting both criticism and support to their decision.