Popular actor Kamal Haasan today said he was getting many queries on his Twitter handle on whether he would join the opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party. "Had I was to join DMK, I would have done it in 1983," he said.
The 62-year-old actor said DMK chief M Karunandihi had sent him a telegram during that time, asking him as to why he should not join his party. Addressing a DMK event organised to celebrate the completion of 75 years of party mouthpiece 'Murasoli', Haasan said, "I did not have the courage to either show the telegram to others or respond to it. Till this day, I have not responded to it".
He said Kalaignar (Karunanidhi's popular name) was generous and till today he had not asked the actor about that.
"It is a quality of great people," Haasan said.
The Tamil actor, who has taken on the AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government on corruption issue, said, "Initially, I thought of being a participant in the DMK event rather than opting to share the dais and address the gathering so that I do not get caught in controversies".
Stating that he had asked the organisers if Rajinikant will participate and when he was told that his peer would take part and be seated in the front row rather than share the dais, he too thought of doing that.
However, on second thoughts I realised that it was a big opportunity and decided to not let it go, Haasan said.
"It is not self-defence (to avoid controversies), it is self-respect which is important," he said to a thunderous applause. The actor had been opposing the ruling AIADMK on corruption charges and the DMK had voiced support for the actor.
"If you ask me if I will make any political criticism, let me say this is not the platform for that...this is an event to celebrate the success of a daily," he said.
Referring to claims by DMK's political rivals that Dravidian ideology would end, the actor said the idea would be around till such time the word Dravidian continued to find a place in the national anthem 'Jana Gana Mana'.
He added that the concept of Dravidian was "pan-Indian" according to archeology and anthropology.
Earlier in the day, an expo of Murasoli's journey through the years, since its inception in 1942, was inaugurated at the daily's office here in which DMK working president M K Stalin participated.
A life-size wax replica of DMK chief and daily's founder editor M Karunanidhi was unveiled in the expo. Representatives from top media houses including The Hindu, Times of India, Tamil dailies Dina Thanthi, Dina Malar and Dina Mani participated in the events.
