Kollywood: Cinema, Stardom, and Tamil Politics

Tamil Nadu is home to a political tradition unlike anywhere else in India—one where movie stardom is the surest path to power. In this episode, we explore how Kollywood’s “mass heroes,” from the legendary M.G. Ramachandran to today’s political dynasties, turned fan devotion into electoral machinery. These actors didn’t just entertain; their on-screen righteousness became a political identity, amplified by vast fan clubs that operate like grassroots organizations. And while their films promised revolution, the real story is how cinema became the state’s enduring finishing school for politics—where charisma, narrative, and mythmaking matter as much as policy.

https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2023/12/20/why-tamil-movie-heroes-become-politicians