It's a hold that some of them successfully converted into political vote banks. We are, of course, talking of film stars of southern India, with the notable exception of Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and to a lesser extent in Karnataka, until even a few decades ago, being a star from tinseltown was seen almost as a ticket to political office.
M G Ramachandran was perhaps the trend-setter. But he was not just a star. MGR was an active member of the DMK for over a decade and rose to become the party treasurer. During the period he was in the party, he carefully cultivated his screen image. He would always portray the do-gooder, the underdog taking on the powerful. His directors would back him with powerful punchlines and memorable lyrics loaded with political significance.
Thus, when he chose to break away and form the AIADMK he was, in many ways, bigger than his former party. Electoral success followed almost immediately. Once he came to power, as long as he was alive he was never defeated.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 15, 2024-Ausgabe von The Morning Standard.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 15, 2024-Ausgabe von The Morning Standard.
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A Forest of Enchantment
Delhi-based designer Payal Jain's new couture collection 'Enchanted Forest', not only paints a dreamscape inspired by nature but also gives back to the environment with sustainable creations
Confusion over trains led to stampede
Police: 2 trains with identical names on different platforms led to confusion among passengers before the tragedy
RAIL BHAVAN GETS INTO HUDDLE
High alert at stations witnessing very high footfall during Maha KUmbh
3rd aircraft carrying 112 illegal Indians touches down in Amritsar
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ATS flags B'deshi terrorists entering J'khand for training
'Hatching anti-India terrorist conspiracies'
High Feb temp likely to hamper wheat yields
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Anti-ragging cells in every Kerala school soon: Edu dept
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Shami works on lengths with Morkel
A FOCUSSED Mohammed Shami spent considerable time with bowling coach Morne Morkel as a full-strength Indian team started its training in earnest ahead of its Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh at the picturesque ICC Academy practice ground here on Sunday.
Basilico finishes on top
FRANCESCO Di Basilico from Italy (55.45 m) and Martina Ayu Pratiwi from Indonesia (64.25 m) won the men's and women's titles respectively at the SDAT Asia Triathlon Cup 2025, held at the INS Adyar on Sunday.
Countering Modern Critiques of Classics
My thoughts have been very much with our epics this week and I would like to share my understanding of a few epic incidents that I feel have been wrongly critiqued in modern India.
