South Indian actor Dhanush on Sunday met over 3,000 women executives and volunteers of his official fan club here.
During his brief interaction with them, Dhanush presented them with 'Kamakshi Vilakku, a traditional South Indian sacred oil lamp dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi, a form of Goddess Parvati, symbolising grace, prosperity and peace.
It was his gift for the upcoming Deepavali festival, a woman member of the Dhanush Narpani Iyakkam said.
Braving heavy downpour since this morning, several women representatives of the Dhanush Narpani Iyakkam, who had come from various districts, took part in the closed-door meeting.
The development came days after the club was formally renamed from Dhanush Fans Clubs to “Dhanush Narpani Iyakkam” (Dhanush Welfare Movement), fuelling speculation about the actor’s political debut.
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According to people aware of the details, the 43-year-old actor who was supposed to arrive around 12 noon came around 3 pm. Considering the unexpected delay, a sumptuous vegetarian lunch was provided to all the guests who had come in large numbers.
From poori-potato to traditional vegetarian biryani were served to the fans. Dhanush's sisters were seen enquiring about the food presented to the guests and had a brief interaction with the invitees. They also posed for photographs with the fans at the venue.
{{/usCountry}}From poori-potato to traditional vegetarian biryani were served to the fans. Dhanush's sisters were seen enquiring about the food presented to the guests and had a brief interaction with the invitees. They also posed for photographs with the fans at the venue.
{{/usCountry}}A separate section for non-vegetarian lovers was also promptly arranged by the organisers on the occasion.
The meeting was held at a private engineering college at Semmenchery, located on the outskirts of Chennai. The campus has been decorated with banners and posters of the actor.
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"We have been waiting for him since this morning. They had arranged proper food to all of us. Like Vijay (Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay) we are also waiting for him to make his political entry," a woman executive who had come just to attend the meeting from Coimbatore said.
"We are all waiting for him to make the announcement that he is entering politics. We are here to support him. If we did not support, who will?," another fan who had come from Theni said.
Speculation about Dhanush entering politics has grown since actor-politician C Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) came to power in Tamil Nadu in the assembly elections held in April.
Around 3 pm, Dhanush, clad in a traditional white shirt and a dhoti, arrived at the venue and held a brief interaction with the women fan clubs.
"He interacted with all of us. He posed for photographs with us. We never expected he will give this Kamakshi vilakku. It was a surprise gift from him for Deepavali festival.", Ritika another fan from Chennai, said.
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On October 14, the organisational transition of the actor’s fan club was officially approved during an executives' meeting in Coimbatore. The club also revealed the organisation's newly designed logo alongside the announcement.
The official logo features a circular red and white border centred around a large red star. Inside the star is an image of the actor with his hands folded in greeting. The Tamil text inscribed within the emblem officially identifies the group as a welfare movement.
At an event in Tiruvallur district on July 27, Dhanush urged his fans to engage in various social welfare activities, besides attending his music and film launches. Noting the turnout at the event, he said that kind of unity has real strength.
"You need to give this unity a purpose. Not just by attending audio launches (of his movies) but joining hands to do welfare work in your neighbouring areas. Do whatever you can for the people in your respective region, for the families living near you,” he said.
On October 15, former All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) minister K T Rajendra Balaji said the party would welcome Dhanush with open arms if he wished to join.
"He is a top actor and if he wants to join AIADMK, we will welcome him," he said.
Last week, reports suggested Dhanush visited Delhi to meet some political leaders.
When asked about Dhanush’s reported visit to the Capital and his entry into politics, a former state minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) veteran leader S Regupathy said: “In a democratic country, anyone can enter politics. They have the democratic right.”
"When Vijay can enter politics, why not Dhanush?" he added.
Tamil Nadu politics has a long history of film personalities turning to public life, including AIADMK founder and former chief minister M G Ramachandran and the late actor and party supremo J Jayalalithaa.
The late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi wrote scripts and songs for Tamil cinema, while his son and DMK president M K Stalin also acted in a few films.
Stalin’s son and the DMK youth wing leader, Udhayanidhi Stalin, also entered politics after establishing himself as an actor in Tamil cinema, popularly known as Kollywood.
Vijay had converted his fan clubs into the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (Vijay People’s Movement) before formally launching the TVK on February 2, 2024.
Within two years of its launch, the TVK won 108 seats in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections. It then formed a post-poll alliance with the Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and the Indian Union Muslim League, and assumed office on May 10.