Content: E. V. Ramasamy, popularly addressed as Periyar or ‘The Great One’, laid the ideological foundations of modern Tamil politics and social life

In the early 1970s, Loyola College students’ union organized a Star Nite to raise funds for needy students with the help of Nadigar Sangam. The star-studded event was marked by the presence of two giants — MGR and Sivaji Ganesan. At the event, students’ union leader J C D Prabakaran handed over Rs10,000 to Sivaji, president of Nadigar Sangam as the mandatory fee to help organize the Star Nite. But when it was MGR’s turn to speak he surprised the audience saying though the film body was bound by rules to collect a fee, he was not. "The burden of Rs10,000 should not fall on students who were trying to help needy kids. I will contribute personally to compensate for the fee paid," MGR said handing over the cash amid thunderous applause.

At one stroke, MGR had reached out to the student community, besides touching a chord with everyone present. It was also an instance why he was so popular and more successful in politics than the stellar actor Sivaji, whose 92nd birth anniversary was on October 1.

In the world of cinema, MGR knew he did not have half the talent of Sivaji, yet he countered his arch rival with novel packages of entertainment which transported his fans to a world of fantasy. Off stage, MGR was a better actor than Sivaji, using style to counter substance.

Not everyone can be an MGR to translate celluloid popularity to real world support. Only two actors could follow in his footsteps and emulate him — NTR in Andhra Pradesh nurturing MGR’s do-gooder image and J Jayalalithaa as his acolyte.

Despite being one of the most popular actors in Tamil Nadu, the world of politics seemed to keep Sivaji at a distance. It was not that he was a miser as was projected about him by his detractors. He represented a new generation of actors who invested their hard-earned money wisely. Sivaji had helped many public causes including efforts to raise funds for the families of war-affected soldiers of Indian Army. For Sivaji, a film was a just that and he was nothing more than a character.

MGR never wavered from the good Samaritan, Robin Hood image. He would never be seen smoking or drinking in a film, while Sivaji would revel in the role of a stylish smoker or a singing drunkard. For MGR, a film was a message, and he was a missile to be launched. On the other hand, Sivaji never hesitated to do films with negative shades like ‘Gnana Oli’ and ‘Deiva Magan’.

That Sivaji lacked political astuteness also comes through when he later fell out with his strong supporter G K Moopanar blaming him for Indira Gandhi’s decision to give a Rajya Sabha seat to Amitabh Bachchan. He also blotted his copybook by asking five supporters (Congress party) to resign from the post of MLA on the morning of the confidence vote moved by MGR’s wife V N Janaki during her stint as chief minister. It was aimed to help Janaki but prevented attempts of the Congress to form an alternate government. Revolting against Rajiv Gandhi, Sivaji later broke away from the Congress, and formed Tamizhaga Munnetra Munnani, which joined hands with the ousted CM Janaki. The alliance proved to be a disaster in the 1989 elections, with both Janaki and Sivaji losing. Janaki quit politics, leaving Sivaji high and dry. With V P Singh becoming the Prime Minister, Sivaji clutched at the straw, becoming the TN unit of Singh’s Jan Morcha party. But after Singh lost power, Sivaji couldn’t sustain the party and quit politics.

Sivaji’s attempt at politics can serve as a lesson for the present crop of actors who believe success in politics is just a step away. Kamal Haasan has realised that stardom doesn’t translate into votes. Vijayakanth, dogged by health issues, is also struggling to run his party. Rajinikanth, Vijay and Simbu, are keeping the gunpowder dry, waiting for the right moment to strike. Rajini is the first one to realise that emulating MGR wouldn’t be easy. Politics is a matter of image building and perception. Actors would do well to learn from the Loyola College episode and draw lessons from it.