His Twitter wall is filled with Sabaash Naidu posters, but Kamal Haasan has given us no updates on the film in recent times. Instead, he’s telling fans how they should behave during jallikattu protests. He’s vocally assertive when criticising ‘aggressive police action’ and terming it a ‘mistake’. Last Monday, when an otherwise calm Chennai turned chaotic, he tweeted a news video of a policeman setting fire to an autorickshaw with the comment: ‘What is this… please explain someone.’
It’s exactly the kind of comment we would have posted on social media or on WhatsApp when we are outraged about something dear to us. That tells us a few things. That Kamal Haasan is like any one of us when it comes to outrage. That Kamal Haasan uses social media to tell his fans what he thinks and what he thinks they ought to think.
The jallikattu protests have made celebrities — even those like Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth — not just more vocal about their opinions, but also celebrate people rooting for the cause. For a change, they took to social media to promote the youngsters behind the Marina movement, rather than indulge in self-promotion or a mutual admiration society.
The protests might have ended as a ‘makkal movement’ and a victory to the masses, but the celebrity hand in it certainly helped. It was a refreshing change to see actors indulging in a day-long protest, but refusing to give long speeches or audio bytes as they wanted the focus to be on the youngsters at the Marina.
But that didn’t stop them from garnering support on social media. At a time when national TV anchors had difficulty understanding the intricacies of jallikattu, it was these social media heroes who came to the fore. In those few days, singer Chinmayi would have probably spent more time in TV studios than in recording studios. RJ Balaji, now a popular face associated with causes, was active both on social media and on the ground.
When I went to the Marina last Friday, the place was teeming with people shouting slogans. I happened to overhear a couple of youngsters: “Dei, nee Vijay anna video pathaya? Gethu la?”
They weren’t referring to the actor’s latest on-screen outing Bairaava ; they were discussing the video he had made supporting jallikattu. They were at the Marina because their on-screen idol had spoken his heart out on social media. The protests were also a time when celebrities stepped out of their cosy bubble and joined hands with the students. There’s a priceless photo of actor Vijay wearing a white scarf to cover his face and standing amidst hundreds of youngsters at the protest.
And that tells us a few things. That the conventional meaning of the ‘celebrity’ has changed. He/she is no longer one who can shoot for films (and commercials) and chill at home. He has a responsibility — of not just doling out free advice to fans — but also getting close to them. In the online world and otherwise.
The last day of the protest changed a few things about this perspective of the celebrity. There are theories about how the film fraternity let down the people, instigating students to continue protesting even when the cause had been won.
That could well be true to an extent, but the 2017 pro-Jallikattu Protests (there’s a Wikipedia page with that title now) proved how indispensable social media is for celebrities, and how they could also be one among us in such trying times.
After all, that is truly being human.
