Director and actor SA Chandrasekar has put to rest speculation over his son and star Vijay’s possible entry into politics, stating that it is not the right time for him to take the political plunge. Answering questions on today’s political scenario in the state, Chandrasekhar told Behindwoods Air, “There are two senior actors who have made their entry already. Comparatively, I feel, Vijay is a junior. If he were to make his political entry now, I feel Tamil Nadu people might be vexed altogether by cinema actors.”
Chandrasekar also admits to have trained Vijay at one point for a political future. “As his father, back then I thought he should enter politics. So, I was training him to be socially active.”
He went on to add, “But now, I feel times have changed. Politics is always changing. We’ve got someone who says he’s going to contest in politics after 3 years. Nothing is fixed. Vijay has to decide, people have to accept. If two (Rajini and Kamal) of them are already there, I see no point in Vijay entering as well,” he said.
Kamal Haasan launched his political party – Makkal Needhi Maiam – in February, while Rajinikanth announced his political entry on December 31. He is, however, yet to launch his political party.
Further explaining his rationale, Chandrasekar said, “Recently a woman came up to me and said that Vijay is doing a great job in cinema and that he should continue his acting career. She requested me to not let him join politics at this point.”
Observing that there’s a scarcity for good leaders in the state today, the director noted, “My personal opinion is that the state is in a bad condition today. We can adjust if there’s no water or food. What if there’s no good leader? There’s a scarcity for a good leader today. We need changemakers.”
Talking about Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth’s political plunge, Chandrasekar stated that if the two were to stand alone, there are high chances for the old parties to sneak back in. “If they stand separately, I am confident in saying that an old thief will come back. But if they stand united, they have better chance of winning,”
While Rajini and Kamal have made their difference in ideologies clear, Chandrasekar hopes that setting their “personal egos” aside and contesting together will give them a better chance to rule for the next 15 years. “If they do this together, the entire film industry will support them. All the fans will come together and support them. Later they can alternate being CM between themselves. They can also bring in a youngster to rule. It’s all about serving the Tamil people justly is it not?” he asks.
Actor Vijay made his entry into cinema in 1992 in his father’s directorial, Naalaya Theerpu. SA Chandrasekar admits that though the film was a failure, he saw a winner in Vijay. “I saw him as a very spirited actor. I knew he would win one day. Perhaps I named the film Naalaya Theerpu foreseeing his future,” he smiles.
On his upcoming film, a biopic on the public figure and social activist Traffic Ramaswamy, SA Chandrasekar says that it would be his curtain call. “I’ve made many successful films and not all successful films are good films. This will be my good film,” he added.