As Vijay prepares for his next innings as Tamil Nadu chief minister, he would do well to learn from the life lessons of NTR.
IMAGE: Then Andhra Pradesh governor Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma administers the oath of office to Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao at the Lal Bahadur stadium in Hyderabad, January 9, 1983. Photographs: Rediff Archives
Key Points
- The Andhra Pradesh elections were due in August 1983, but the government advanced it to January 1983. The TDP swept the polls, winning a massive 201 seats out of 294, an absolute majority for NTR.
- It shows how impressive NTR's victory was, coming less than a year after the TDP was formed.
- NTR's political life had its ups and downs. He would be sworn in as CM for four terms, including for the last time in 1995.
- Later that same year, the TDP split, with a majority of MLAs supporting his son-in-law Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who later became chief minister.
The unexpected victory of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by Chandrasekhar Joseph Vijay, known throughout Tamil Nadu, and now India, by the mononym Vijay, has shocked poll analysts and political commentators.
Here was a person who didn't even have a proper political party. His party, the TVK, was more of a fan club turned into a political party overnight, and now, even as you are reading this, he is preparing to take oath as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, one of India's foremost states.
If you are wondering how a person goes from reel life hero to real life chief minister, it might be worth recalling another movie star who did just that 44 years ago: Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, better known as NTR.
IMAGE: NTR atop his Prachare Ratham in Warangal.
NTR acted in over 300 films in his career from 1949 to 1982.
Through the 1950s and 1960s, he portrayed various Hindu gods, essaying the roles of Lord Krishna, Lord Rama and Lord Shiva, which earned him a massive fan following throughout Andhra Pradesh state (which then comprised today's Andhra Pradesh and Telangana).
He would also play the roles of Bheeshma, Duryodhana, Arjuna, Bheema and Karna from the Mahabharata, the role of Ravana from the Ramayana, and Lord Vishnu.
NTR's first religious film, where he portrayed Lord Krishna, came out in 1957. He would go on to play Lord Krishna in 17 movies! over the years,
Here, it must be remembered that Andhra Pradesh, a state for the Telugu-speaking people, had been formed on November 1, 1956, carved out of the erstwhile Madras state and incorporating the erstwhile Nizam of Hyderabad's territories.
NTR's portrayal of Hindu gods saw his popularity surge throughout the state.
Later, in the 1970s, he began playing Robin Hood roles, the person who cares about the poor and fights for justice. NTR starred in over 300 films.
IMAGE: Then Andhra Pradesh chief minister N T Rama Rao with then Tamil Nadu chief minister M G Ramachandran -- both movie superstars who migrated to politics -- sharing sweets after signing the agreement sharing Krishna waters.
MGR vs NTR Political Pathways
In the early 1980s, he decided to move into politics, a pathway that was successfully carved in neighbouring Tamil Nadu where M G Ramachandran had moved on from being a movie superstar to becoming the state's chief minister in 1977.
There was a difference though: MGR was a part of political parties in the state. He had joined the Congress party and later joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), splitting from it in 1972 to form his own party, the All-India Anna DMK.
To that extent, MGR had been a politician for a few years when he took oath as CM in 1977.
NTR's path was far more rapid. Taking the plunge into politics, he formed his Telugu Desam Party in March 1982, a year before he would turn 60, with the theme: Telugu atma gauravam (Telugu self-respect).
IMAGE: NTR looks at a tricycle, the Telugu Desam Party election symbol on the roadside.
The reason for this theme showed his political acumen. Just a month earlier, in February 1982, Rajiv Gandhi, then the Congress party's general secretary and for all practical purposes, heir apparent to then prime minister Indira Gandhi, was visiting Hyderabad.
The then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, T Anjaiah, received him at Begumpet airport.
Rajiv was apparently upset with the large crowds that had been arranged to greet him, and publicly rebuked Anjaiah, which was captured by the media.
What was also captured was Anjaiah breaking down at this humiliation; he subsequently resigned as CM.
IMAGE: NTR at an election meeting.
Mass Mobilisation Strategy
NTR cashed in on this affront to Telugu self-respect. After forming the party, he hit the road in a Chevrolet car that had been modified to look like a chariot, aptly named Chaityana Ratham (chariot of awakening).
He toured the state, even though elections were a year away, projecting himself as the alternative to the then ruling party in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress.
Thousands of his fans turned up to see NTR and his ratham, and these fans would turn into his political supporters.
Incidentally, the idea of touring the state in a chariot proved so popular that nearly a decade later, BJP leader L K Advani would follow this idea by journeying on his own rath yatra to drum up support for the Ram Janambhoomi temple.
The man who was Advani's rathi (charioteer) was a young Narendra Modi.
IMAGE: Then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi with N T Rama Rao, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
The Andhra Pradesh elections were due in August 1983, but the government advanced it to January 1983. The TDP swept the polls, winning a massive 201 seats out of 294, an absolute majority, which has eluded Vijay and the TVK.
It shows how impressive his victory was, coming less than a year after the TDP was formed.
NTR's political life had its ups and downs. He would be sworn in as CM for four terms, including for the last time in 1995.
But later that same year, his party split, with a majority of legislators supporting his son-in-law Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who later became chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh and is now CM of Andhra Pradesh.
NTR passed away in 1996.
Now, as Vijay prepares for his next innings as chief minister of Tamil Nadu, he would do well to learn from the life lessons of NTR.
Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff