Tamil actor Vijay's political debut has resulted in an earthquake in Tamil Nadu. His party is the single-largest player, bagging the highest number of seats (at the time of writing this article, the final resutl was not yet out).
Political analysts aver that youngsters in particular and large sections of voters favoured the TVK because they liked Vijay for quitting cinema at the peak of his career. His remuneration for The GOAT was Rs 180 Cr (official figure). His remuneration for Jana Nayagan was Rs 250 Cr (again, official figure). Such a superstar can make one thousand crores in just five years.
Vijay, however, chose to become a leader. This aspect has throughly influenced his voters. "He sacrificed thousands of crores just to serve the public", is the impression they have of him.
It's likely that Pawan Kalyan would have gained so much more public admiration across caste groups had he walked the talk and exited cinema in 2017 or so. Even now, it's not too late. He should declare in political speeches that he is not going back to acting at all. Ustaad Bhagat Singh should ideally be his final movie. If he talks of OG 2, etc even after becoming Deputy CM, he will start to be perceived as selfish and money-minded. This perception might not affect his political prospects (especially because he is a TDP ally), but it will certainly dent the kind of saintly image that Vijay now has (despite his rumoured affair with Trisha affecting his marriage).
The bottomline: Pawan Kalyan should QUIT ACTING. He can produce movies and meaningful ones alone. He should strictly refrain from acting. Even if he loses power in 2029, that should be his stance. He should take a leaf out of Vijay's life.
