How did one of India’s largest states come to be ruled by actors?
During the past 50 years, five of Tamil Nadu’s eight chief ministers have been film stars or scriptwriters. The state’s chief minister, Jayaram Jayalalitha, was once a starlet. The opposition is led by 89-year-old playwright, M. Karunanidhi, and his son, Stalin. This odd way of choosing politicians can be traced back to a 1958 film, “Parasakthi”, which marks the beginning of cinema as a political force in the state.
Read more in the Economist
CHANAKYAN / June 15, 2013
The briefest article in the Economist written with supreme shallowness and appalling contempt for the people of Tamil Nadu. Little wonder that UK is trailing behind several countries of the EU and of the world.
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Amarasiri / June 15, 2013
In Tamil Nadu Actors and Actresses are Heroes.
They do magic on screen.
So the citizens think that the same magic can be done on the political stage, as they have “experience” and vote for them.
The same phenomenon is seen in reelecting the MP and other politicians.
That is why in the USA, they put term limits for presidents.
Unfortunately, the clowns ans shills removed term limits in Sri Lanka for President.
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Rohan / June 15, 2013
But…. are they any worse than the current leaders of Sri Lanka?
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Rama / June 15, 2013
people in tamil nadu love light skinned people. mgr was a pale skinned politician so is jayalalitha. even the british press referred these two guys as pale skinned.
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abhaya / June 15, 2013
we thamiz are idiots . we love drama dont like to live in the real world and idolize shits like VP and MGR
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ONE / June 18, 2013
Stupid only they watch the traffic lights while you like the rest follow like sheep.
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justice / June 15, 2013
In Tamil Nadu,all contestants for elective office,declare their assets voluntarily and publicly, before elections.
Personal popularity of the contestants,especially film actors, counts a lot.
The election commission is powerful, in India.
Karunanithy’s daughter,a Tamil Nadu MP & Lok Saba minister was jailed for fraud with another minister,after the last election.
This is yet to happen in sri lanka.
If contestants declare assets publicly in sri lanka,most of them,even the highest in the political hierarchy, will lose the election, and they know it.
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Manoharan / June 18, 2013
They “voluntarily declare” assets. But what is declared is like the tip of the iceberg. Most assets remain hidden. Then opposing politicians bring in law cases challenging the assets declaration. The cases remains on the books, ever postponed. This is also true of rape cases and murder, corruption etc. The corruption among Sri Lankan politicians have not come up to the level of these in India yet. But they are catching up and learning all that very fast . In India, over 50% of the MPS have on going criminal cases (often for rape, land grab or murder) against them. In the Sri Lankan parliament we haven’t reached that amount yet. The same is true of the US, with Regan, Schwarznnager etc – show men, many of them are corrupt.
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essie / June 15, 2013
What’s so different about Sri Lanka. We have (and have had) clothes ‘pegs’, beauty queens, actors. Many learn to ‘act’ in Parliament!
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Senguttuvan / June 15, 2013
While the State of Tamilnadu boasts a large number of intellectuals and the educated of world class the system of 1-man 1-vote vomits into the system the mediocre like MGR, Karunanidhi and JJ – result of the Dalit vote machine. But despite this serious handicap industrialists, businessmen, a fairly functional administrative machinery and an alert and responsive but not necessarily faultless judiciary keep the State running. Chief Ministers have been busy making private fortunes through gbross corruption but failed to provide 24hr power or clean and adequate drinking water to the State. There is dis-satisfaction all round – the upper classes, middle class and the poor. A time may come soon when this popular dissatisfaction may be turned into a tool
to usher in a fairer sense of relationship between the rulers and the ruled.
Senguttuvan
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Native Vedda / June 15, 2013
Senguttuvan
Hope the student protest continue encompass the poor and the needy.
The problem is that Indian establishment fears for change. It is comfortable with what it got now and believes its working. It ain’t.
Let people do what they got to do. When the going get tough, tough get going.
The moment people get together and protest about what is wrong with India, unlimited violence is unleashed again them or the establishment finds a way of dividing and ruling them.
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Chaura NGO / June 15, 2013
The Economist too have resorted what exactly Noam Chomsky says about the Media in his book “Understanding Power”……..
To the Economist, the power is not in their writting but the attraction of Rai Bachan.
Reflect the cheapness of the article & the attraction to THE ECONOMIST.
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manisekaran thangavelu / June 15, 2013
As a one who lived in TN and read the history of tamilnadu; This is just simplistic view that cine actors and actresses are elected because of their on screen presence alone;
Prior to Independence, the freedom fighters chose to use the drama organised by them as media and found it as powerful medium to appeal to rural masses; Another form was folk dances and songs and people like Mahakavi bharathi used tamil literature, novels, magazine as medium for independce struggle. When stage drama was replaced by a silver screen at later stage, the DK movement took its in hand. Anna, the founder of DMK ( evolved from DK which evolved from justice party) used both novels, drama and movies to propagate their self-respect movement. Karunannidhi and MGR together played and involved in DK movements even prior to their silver screen success. they were associated with drama and novel much before their success in silevr screen. So Tamil people just like that did not elect anybody for their onscreen success.even MGR was associated with Tamil political histor for nearly 20 years before he started his own party, Similarly JJ was also involved nearly 15 years in politics before she contested in TN assembly elections, They had good political knowledge.
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Fair N Square / June 15, 2013
well the ONLY entertainment for MOST in South India is Movies… Yes Indians love DRAMA.. so they get their feed from the politicians whom they elect.
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