Kamal Haasan, who on January 17 confirmed that he would be setting up his own political party, spoke on people’s right to express and his dream to create a “corruption-free Tamil Nadu” and the prospect of allying with his contemporary Rajinikanth at the Harvard University on Saturday.
Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan call themselves as the “agents of change” and want to improve the standard of governance in Tamil Nadu.
Rajinikanth announced his entry into active politics on December 31 and ever since then the actors have been continuously asked if they would contest elections together.
Mr Haasn said that partnering with Rajinikanth, who recently announced his political entry, is not a decision that can be taken now.”It isn’t like choosing the star cast for films,” he said.
Rajinikanth’s response to similar queries has always been “only time will tell”.
Without ruling out the possibility of future ties, Mr Haasan emphasized “red is not my political complexion. I hope Rajinikanth’s color is not saffron because if it is, an alliance is unlikely,” he said at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Mr Haasan, who aims to “clean politics in Tamil Nadu”, said he aspires to be a politician with a difference. “My films were different from my peers and I want to be different in politics too,” he said.
The actor also stressed that he is unwilling to settle for one political ideology and would “feed himself in the international buffet of political ideologies”.
“My true purpose today is to challenge the status quo and mediocrity that has plagued Tamil Nadu. When average businessmen and politicians set mediocrity as a standard, then rubbish becomes acceptable,” he added.
Talking about the freedom of speech, he said that the right to speak is the foundation of democracy and it is important for all of us to protect it.
“Freedom isn’t for to be inside a bank locker,” he said.
Mr Haasan is scheduled to announce the name of his party on February 21 at Rameswaram from where he is said to launch a statewide political tour called “Nalai Namadhe” (Tomorrow is ours). He calls this tour a “journey of discovery” in an attempt to understand people’s needs and aspirations.
He has appealed to the people to support his political journey, saying, “Join hands with me to empower our country and the state.