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The Telling Silence Of Kollywood’s Virtue Signallers Vs The Vocal Ones In The Aftermath Of Cyclone Michaung

The Commune

The aftermath of Cyclone Michaung has left Chennai and its neighbouring districts grappling with severe devastation, claiming lives due to torrential rains and rain-related incidents. Over 61,600 individuals have been relocated to relief camps across nine districts, as government agencies, private organizations, and NGOs work tirelessly to restore normalcy.

In the midst of these relief efforts, a telling silence from some of Tamil Nadu’s renowned celebrities especially from the film industry has raised eyebrows.

The Virtue Signallers Missing In Action

Superstar Rajinikanth who lives in Poes Garden was also found to be MIA (Missing In Action). It is noteworthy that his locality also faced severe inundation during the heavy rains.

Kamal Haasan who had blamed the AIADMK government when rains lashed the city in 2020, took to blaming the cyclone Michaung this time for the entire problem while turning a blind eye to the mismanagement, poor or absence of preparedness from the establishment. His duplicity was called out by many.

Filmmaker Pa Ranjith, who built his entire career by the portrayals of North Chennai, has gone MIA without a word on the floods or any relief initiatives. The silence of other prominent stars like Surya, Karthi, Vijay Sethupathi who used to wake up occasionally from the slumber to voice out something has also gone voiceless now and even the usually socially active actor Siddharth who was involved in 2015 flood relief activities seems to have turned a blind eye.

Perhaps among the most surprising is the silence of Chennai-based Oscar-winner AR Rahman. While the city grapples with the aftermath of the cyclone, Rahman has been active in promoting his films, music, and concerts, prompting Chennai people to feel a sense of betrayal.

 

While actor Suriya Sivakumar and his brother Karthi have donated ₹10 lakh towards relief fund, the duo who had commented on every other socio-political issue when the AIADMK was in power have kept their mouths shut despite the residents of the Chennai suffering.

Suriya is known for his virtue-signalling on and off screen and has peddled DMK’s propaganda on NEET, National Education Policy, etc. His brother Karthi Sivakumar who had waxed eloquent during the farmer’s protest and other issues has not commented on any social issues be it slapping Goondas Act against farmers or now.

Other virtue-signallers of Kollywood including Siddharth, RJ Balaji, both of whom had been active when the AIADMK was in power.

These well-known figures in the Tamil film industry, who have built their careers on the support and funds of Tamil cinema fans, seem to have turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people in Chennai in order to not antagonize the ruling DMK. This has sparked widespread discontent towards film community.

Cine Personalities Who Have Voiced Out

However, amidst the celebrities’ silence, music director Santhosh Narayanan stands out as he voiced the concerns of the people of his locality. Involved in on-the-ground rescue operations, He provided a glimpse into the dire situation, stating, “Everyone here is suffering; we have no electricity, and water surrounds us. This time, there is more water in our locality than in 2015.” He expressed frustration with the changing governments and the lack of attention to their plight, saying, “We have to look up to the sky and voice our complaints.”

Actor Vishal had posted on 4 December 2023 describing the situation at his Annanagar home. He appealed to the Mayor of the city to hasten rescue efforts.

Actor Keerthi Pandian posted an SOS on her X handle highlighting the state of Mylapore near Vivekananda College.

Actor Aditi Balan questioned the government as she was surrounded by water in Thiruvanmiyur. She also wrote that dead animals were floating around in the water.

She also posted that she was asked to move her car while waiting to pick up family that was wading through the stagnant water to allow way for the CM’s convoy.

Notably, Thalapathy Vijay, who has been conspicuous by his absence since the success of “Leo,” a recent blockbuster, who is in talks to start a political party posted on his X handle late on the evening of 6 December 2023 asking his fans/organisation members to help in the rescue efforts.

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