Tamil superstars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan trade barbs on mega DMK event

While Rajinikanth criticised Kamal Haasan for not speaking on the event, the latter hit back at Thalaiva saying self-respect was more important than self-security and self-defence.

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Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. File Photo.

Chennai,UPDATED: Aug 11, 2017 20:03 IST

DMK mouthpiece Murasoli's 75th anniversary celebrations in Chennai on August 10 witnessed Tamil superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan sharing a common platform. The occasion also gave the duo a chance to take potshots at each other.

Even though the programme started by 5 in the evening, Haasan spoke only around 8.30 pm and that too for only 10 minutes.

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Kamal Haasan criticised Rajinikanth for not speaking on the event, saying, "When I was invited for the event, I asked whether Rajinikanth is also coming. They said that he is attending the event but he decided not to speak. I then agreed to do the same and decided to sit next to him hoping that I'll not end up in any trouble. But later after a little introspection, I knew that I would be a fool if I miss the chance to speak at such a wonderful event. I decided that more than self-security and self-defence, self-respect was important."
Kamal Haasan was cheered by the entire auditorium after this comment. He also stirred a controversy by claiming that Rajinikanth decided to stay silent to avoid getting into unnecessary trouble.
Haasan later said, "Dravidam is a culture that has its roots in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Until you have the word 'Dravida' in the 'Jana Gana Mana' (National anthem), Dravidianism will persist", he said sternly and finished his speech.
And as everyone left the premises believing Kamal Haasan was done for the day, he took to Twitter to post this message, "Don't be resilient or lethargic and do the needful. The seed for revolution resides within independent thinking. Don't try to outrun me or get exhausted and slow me down. Walk along with me and the victory shall not be mine, but ours."
It took the Twitterati some time to understand what Aandavar was trying to say. While it was initially thought that Kamal Haasan's tweet was directed towards his followers, Twitterati later concluded that the message was indirectly for Rajinikanth.
"Aandavar has asked Thalaivar to not be shy anymore. He wants Thalaivar to think independently about his political decisions because recently it seems like BJP is influencing his actions a lot. Also it seems like Aandavar is inviting Thalaivar to join hands and if that happens victory is definitely theirs. Now that is a development I can't wait to see", said a Kamal Haasan fan after being extremely happy that he found the meaning of the tweet in such a short time.
Haasan has been critical of the ruling AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu, accusing it of being corrupt.
With this latest tweet alone, Haasan has set speculations abuzz on whether he is contemplating joining hands with Rajinikanth and creating a system to replace the allegedly corrupt one.