The power of celebrity often goes beyond the entertainment realm, casting a long shadow into the social and political landscape. When a figure as colossal as Rajinikanth, a phenomenon in himself, chooses to remain silent on a crucial issue like women’s safety, the silence speaks volumes. His recent response to questions on the sexual assault of a 19-year-old student within the hallowed walls of Anna University, calling the issue ‘political,’ is a grave misstep, an abdication of responsibility.
“அரசியல் கேள்வி கேக்காதீங்க”.. கையை நீட்டி கட்டன் ரைட்டாக சொல்லிவிட்டு சென்ற நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்த்..!#Chennai | #ChennaiAirport | #Rajini | #Rajinikanth | #Politics | #PolimerNews pic.twitter.com/4UTYQH3ev7
— Polimer News (@polimernews) January 7, 2025
The attack on a young woman on Anna University campus brought justified anger to the streets of Tamil Nadu. It has drawn attention to the issue of women’s safety in public spaces. This is not an abstract political debate; it is a visceral, immediate issue with real-world implications for the lives of countless women. Several netizens have expressed disappointment and strong disapproval with his bizarre remarks on the Anna university case.
Story of legend becoming a 🤡 clown. பயந்தாங்கோli https://t.co/q58CBl8nwK
— RTram*️⃣ (@iamrgb01) January 7, 2025
When did Rape case became a political question?@rajinikanth doesn’t even have the capability to take on questions of pressing issues. He must learn from Junior SK.
Is this the courage rajni fans were talking about? lol.#BiggBoss8Tamil #BiggBossTamil #BiggBossTamilSeason8 https://t.co/n03ivha6jR
— Viswanath (@Viswanath_vn) January 7, 2025
Incidentally, this is not the first time when he has dismissed the concerning issue of crime against women with abject contempt. Strikingly, the Justice Hema Committee report exposed the sordid tale of sexual abuse, systemic discrimination, and exploitation of female co-stars in the Malayalam film industry aka Mollywood. Back then, he had dismissed a media query about the same claiming ignorance about the same.
Notably, in a video shared by Polimer News, when a journalist asked him about setting up a committee to probe into exploitation in the Tamil film industry on the lines of Justice Hema Committee report, Superstar Rajinikanth appeared confused.
On his insistence to repeat the question, Rajnikanth interjected saying, “Hema Committee, Malayalam.” With a smile on his face, he added, “I don’t know…I don’t know anything about that. Sorry.”
Rather than being a voice of solidarity, or a voice of concern, or even a call to action, Rajinikanth opted out, seeking the convenient refuge of “don’t ask me political questions.” The very apolitical act is, itself, a great political statement: one of disengagement and one of abstention from dealing with the serious issues that thrust him to the pinnacle of societal elevation.
While he carved a reputation in building characters to superhuman proportions that at many instances reflected justice and morality, Rajinikanth’s current silence contrasts with it sharply. Here, in a reel world, the hero fights for the underdog, while, in the real world, the very actor fears speaking up about important issues and goes scurrying into his cave of silence for fear.
The irony is palpable. Those he so lavishly flatters have made him a super-star, and his very self-denial of safety to these very people will raise further questions – is his concern only about the invented fantasy-world of his movies, or does it go beyond to touch the realities his admirers face?
This cannot exculpate him of his responsibilities because he is an actor and not a politician. Although he is not bound to offer policy solutions, his voice carries much weight, especially with an audience conditioned to look up to him to address the Anna University case. His pronouncements can shape public opinion, his silence even more so.
By choosing to avoid the question of women’s safety, he sends a message – a message that such issues are not important enough to warrant his attention, a message that these concerns are merely ‘political’ and thereby dismissible. This message can embolden perpetrators and silence victims, further entrenching the very problems he refuses to engage with.
The contrast between his enthusiastic updates about his upcoming film, Coolie, and his curt dismissal of the women’s safety question highlights a disturbing imbalance. While his professional commitments are quite important, women’s lives and safety in his own state come equally, if not more so.
His silence is not an evasion; it is an opportunity missed. He could use his platform to make a better, more just, and safe society. He has failed in that.
