Cinema to the Upper House: Kamal Haasan

Being a die-hard fan of Kamal Haasan and an admirer of his works, it has been a shocker for me to witness his representation as a Member of Parliament after he was elected by the State MLAs on July 25th, 2025. 

Should we be happy about it or not? 

It depends on verifiability, we can assess its utility for the residents of Tamil Nadu, since the Rajya Sabha is the upper house that represents or deals with the concerns of the people of Tamil Nadu. I must also acknowledge the significant role of Tamil Nadu at a national level. Based on the data of 2024-25, we contribute 11.9% to India's GDP through our thriving manufacturing sector, making us the highest among all the states in India. 

Rajya Sabha, being the upper house and the representative of Tamil Nadu, can bring a positive influence for the country by addressing the core issues that are of concern for the overall development in various sectors like Education, Health and Finance. 

How can Kamal Haasan help us with his Member of Parliament Post?

Any member of the Rajya Sabha, who are elected on the Single Transferable vote, holds on to the post for 6 years, unless they are faced with certain issues like resignation, death, disqualification or expulsion by the Rajya Sabha. So, correspondingly, Kamal Haasan can hold on to the post for a longer period, where he can buy time for deciding on where to seek representation or raise constructive debates and dialogues to promote Tamil Nadu to foster its participation for the betterment of the country in any aspects expected. 

His expertise as an Actor, Director, Writer and any roles in the world of cinema, 

1. He can make use of it as a tool of Soft power, which is also very crucial for promoting the State or national interests and driving innovation, followed by change.

2. He is known for his intellectual speeches and his knowledge can be utilised to address the concerns of the marginalised or to draw attention to issues pertaining to the environment, social justice and rights of the minorities.

3. Age-long issues of Tamil Nadu, like language policy, water sharing crisis, federal balance, regional infrastructure, and education policies, could be met.

4. He can also help with the fund allocation measures with regard to Education and other neglected aspects observed by the State government.

5. His public opinions can be reframed from a not-so-political perspective and can bring on fresh soft-power-oriented sides to the Rajya Sabha meetings in a creative manner, which helps people to understand politics from a layman's perspective.

What can possibly stop him from being an effective MP?

1. Being indirect with questions raised

2. If he is behind schedule in attending the Rajya Sabha meetings

3. Equipped and informed teams who work on research and facts should back him up to meet the demands to address the issues of TN

4. He cannot be held responsible single-handedly for any bills that are passed which are not in favour of the State; it is the duty of the politician to make arrangements for the bill to satisfy the needs of TN

5. Over-reliance on the predominant individual ideology can sometimes hamper the relationship that is expected to be maintained with other MPs and political parties who do not share his beliefs as well.

6. He is expected to form an alliance that requires a swift follow-up with the existing political trends to retain his position, even if there is either a shift in the ruling party or if his win is questioned for the next term. His seat is spared by the party that is expected to win for the next term. 

TAMIL NADU'S REALPOLITIK:

Kamal Haasan can be a voice for Tamil Nadu in Delhi, where he can represent his party, Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM), and bring relevance to it even if his concentration shifts from vote-seeking to policy-making. 

Tamil Nadu has been historically significant in national politics, which can trace back its relation to the Indian National Congress (INC), reducing its vote share after the introduction of Dravidian Political parties in Tamil Nadu, initiated for various reasons like addressing inequality, language domination and the like. His adherence to cultural modernism can bring in modern political ways and foster a shift from the traditional way of dealing with issues, and can provide a forum that competes with contemporary political challenges and desires. 

Many Bills and budgets are examined in depth by the Standing committees, which have a great impact on the Rajya Sabha, and if KH gives out to the Culture, Information & Broadcasting or Human Resource Development Committees, it can be of use to drafting the bills in education, art and media freedom. 

His nature of being a Polyglot can eliminate the stereotypes of people from South India as well. 

Therefore, the wise decision lies in taking up a diplomatic stance when it comes to the betterment of this society with a tool of governance to change the status of our country. People are encouraged to start analysing the political trends that help reshape the global politics and determine India's stand for the balance of power in the new age, dominated by competition and power play by various countries. 

வீழ்வது யாராகிலும் வாழ்வது நாடாகட்டும்!