The blurred line between reality and illusion: the influence of film personalities on the masses
Kamsalai, the heroine of Jayakanthan’s novella Cinemavukku Pona Chitthalu, is a microcosm of the wider political landscape of Tamil Nadu, susceptible to the charisma of film personalities. She belongs to an era when former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran wielded enormous influence over Tamil society. A diehard fan of ‘Vaathyar’, as Jayakanthan refers to MGR, Kamsalai —…