It was an outburst that cost a veteran politician his cabinet berth in 1995 and had a cataclysmic aftermath. The occasion was the 100th day fete of the Rajinikanth blockbuster ‘Baasha’ and ‘Thalaivar’ vented his anguish at the increasing bomb culture in the state in the presence of the film’s producer and AIADMK minister RM Veerappan (RMV) in the Jayalalithaa cabinet.
Now, three decades later, the superstar has opened up his heart about what prompted him to launch a tirade against the Jayalalithaa government in the wake of the bomb attack on ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam’s residence in Chennai after the release of the iconic movie ‘Bombay’.
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But the fall out of his outburst, the axing of the RMV from the Council of Ministers had disturbed the film star to no end and cost him his sleep.
“I had expressed my anguish at the rise of bomb culture in Tamil Nadu, forgetting that RMV was a minister in the government. I should not have spoken that in his presence on the dais. Then, I did not have that clarity,” Rajinikanth said, making amends, in a video documentary, ‘RMV the King Maker’, released on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the late leader, a close associate of AIADMK founder and film icon late MGR, and founder of the film production house, Satya Movies.
The video clip of Rajinikanth’s speech had gone viral on social media.
On RMV facing the ire of Jayalalithaa, he said “Jayalalithaa axed RMV grilling him as to how Rajinikanth can speak about bomb culture against the government in your presence. And you were a mute spectator. On learning what had happened, I was completely shattered that night. I lost my sleep since all this was because of my speech. I rang up but no one picked up my call.”
In the morning, he called RMV and asked for forgiveness. “But, he was unperturbed as if nothing had happened and asked me about my next shoot. Leave it, what is there in political office, do not be worried, he said and asked me to be happy. Do not lose your dignity, once she makes a decision, she will not reconsider so easily and I do not deserve it that way, was his response, when I told him that I would speak to Jayalalithaa,” the superstar recalled, adding that it still remains a scar refusing to fade away.
“In that function (Baashaa event), I was the last one to speak. How can he respond to my outburst? He is a real King Maker,” Rajinikanth further recalled. Then, in the 1996 assembly election, he lent his voice in support of the DMK-Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) of GK Moopanar, the party launched to protest the Congress aligning with Jayalalithaa.
TMC used Rajinikanth riding a bicycle – the party’s election symbol – from the movie ‘Annamalai’ in the posters. “If Jayalalithaa comes to power again, even god can’t save Tamil Nadu,” was his famed one line which helped the DMK-TMC combine to sweep the elections.
