‘This was the main reason I spoke against Jayalalithaa’: Rajinikanth in RM Veerappan’s documentary

‘This was the main reason I spoke against Jayalalithaa’: Rajinikanth in RM Veerappan’s documentary

We had previously reported that a documentary titled The King Maker, on politician and film producer RM Veerappan, is in production. Produced by Sathya Movies’ Thangaraj Veerappan, the documentary is made under the supervision of creative head Padam Venu Kumar and his team.

Earlier today, the makers shared a preview video featuring bytes from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and actor Rajinikanth. Calling RM Veerappan a “firm believer of the Dravidian ideology”, Stalin says, “It’s rare to see such trustworthy people in politics. RMV sir was one such gem. His subtleties during story and screenplay discussions have awestruck people, and he has produced films starring stalwarts like MGR, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. Similarly, he was a legend in literature and guided the Kamban Kazhagam.”

Rajinikanth says, “RMV sir was one among a very select few like K Balanchander sir, Cho Ramasamy sir and Panchu Arunachalam sir. I miss them all.” Citing an incident during the 100-day celebration function of Baashha (which was produced by RMV), Rajini says, “While he was on stage, I spoke against the then prevailing bomb culture. With a minister by my side, I should not have spoken like that, and I didn’t have the clarity back then. AIDMK head Jayalalithaa removed him from his post for not objecting to the talk against the government.”

Sharing how he was left distraught after hearing the news, Rajini said, “I could not sleep that night, and I was not able to reach RMV sir that night. The next day, when he picked up the call, I apologised profusely. But he spoke to me as if nothing happened. Not only did he ask me to not worry about it as it’s just a posting, but he also enquired about my day’s shoot. That wound in my heart is something I still carry as I was the last person to speak on that stage, and he could not have reacted to it after that. While there are other reasons for me to talk against the then CM Jayalalithaa, this was a paramount reason.”

Rajini also shared how he had asked RMV if he could go and explain this to the then CM. “When I asked that, he said she would not overturn her decision, so don’t spoil your name in due course. Also, it’s not necessary for me to join back after you have a word with them. That’s why he’s great human being and a real kingmaker.”

A close associate of the leaders of the Dravidian Movement, RMV was also a successful film producer. After the exit of MGR from DMK, RMV helped the star in founding the AIADMK. During the regime of the former Chief Ministers MGR and Jayalalitha, RMV served as a minister five times from 1977 to 1996

As a producer, he worked with MGR on films like Deivathaai, Kaavalkaran, Nan Annaiyittal, Rickshakaran, and Idhayakani. He also bankrolled several Rajinikanth starrers like Ranuva Veeran, Moondru Mugam, Baashha, Thangamagan, Oorkavalan and Panakkaran.