The man who gives electricity a shock

In the 1991 movie Captain Prabhakaran, on the hunt for forest brigand Veerappan, Vijayakanth plays Special Task Force head. In one scene, a corrupt official challenges him and asks if he’s a neighbour of Harishchandra, epitome of honesty. Vijayakanth’s answer: “It’s only now I know he’s my neighbour”. He then extols the virtues of honesty in public life.
Cut to 2001. In film Narasimha, Vijayakanth is on a mission to foil a Pakistani plot to execute the three Indian armed forces chiefs. In the process, he is tortured. When he’s administered an electric shock, the power unit goes up in flames, but not before Narasimha delivers this punch line: “An ordinary man may get an electric shock, when it’s me, electricity gets the shock.”

Hyperbole may be the hallmark of Tamil movies and he may have been the poor man’s Rajinikanth, but the two movies, separated by a decade, show what he idealized in 2006, and how desperate a politician he is today.

Seven years and three elections after founding DMDK, the party’s yet to pose a challenge to the Dravidian giants. Now in the company of BJP, an alliance that could bag some seats in northern and western districts, Vijayakanth believes he’s on the threshold of a national role.

Son of a Madurai rice-mill owner, a Naidu who was a Congress councillor, Vijayakanth hits home with his street lingo. “He can address 20 back-to-back meetings and stay fresh for another,” says K Pandiarajan, party MLA turned rebel. Spontaneity makes him an alternative to politicos who go by the script. It’s also exposed him to the charge of being egoistic. He once slapped his own candidate in public. Not many DMDK legislators dare to sit in front of him.

Known to enjoy his drink, Vijayakanth’s been advised by doctors to go easy. He’s been accused of turning his party into a family affair, giving prominence to wife Premalatha and brother-in-law LK Sudheesh.

P Ramachandran, an old MGR aide and Vijayakanth advisor, returned to AIADMK. Eight DMDK MLAs have turned rebels. “He is a prisoner of his family,” says Pandiarajan. “Earlier, he’d rush to the spot if he heard anything signifi cant had happened. Today, he’s difficult to access.”

This change apparently came after his recent movies bombed. He’s acted in over 150 films, but none in the last four years. “Someone advised him not to expose himself much. That’s bad advice for a politician,” a DMDK insider says.

By aligning with BJP, he’s been smart. If BJP wins, he may get a cabinet berth or two—and garner resources for the 2016 Assembly elections . That’s when he’ll reclaim his Iam-the-alternative tag, his eyes on Fort St George, TN’s seat of power.

The last time he entered the bastion of power was as TN opposition leader in 2011 after teaming with AIADMK. His party won 29 of 41 seats it contested , but fell out with Jayalalithaa.

Captain — as he is named after his 1991 movie — may think it’s a blessing in disguise to get back to equidistance from the DMK and the AIADMK.