Tamil cinema has deeply influenced the politics of the State for more than half a century. A host of actors, script writers and lyricists have made their mark in the politics in the State and Superstar Rajinikanth is the latest to join this troupe. Some like MG Ramachandran, J Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi have succeeded, while others, have not.

Karunadhi and MGR used their movies as a means to spread the Dravidian ideology. They were full time members of the DMK and worked for the party. MGR split the DMK and formed the ADMK, only due to differences with Karunanidhi. Rajini, just like MGR, has a huge fan base. But, he lacks a political organisation and a popular brand of politics.

In this podcast, we take a look at how Rajinikanth could influence the political landscape in Tamil Nadu.