3 min readKochiUpdated: Jul 20, 2026 03:43 PM IST Film professionals, particularly actors, entering mainstream politics is not new in Tamil Nadu. From MG Ramachandran (MGR) and J Jayalalithaa to Sivaji Ganesan, Vijayakanth, and Vijay, who currently serves as the state’s Chief Minister, the list of actors-turned-politicians in Tamil Nadu is long. Among them is Kamal Haasan, even though he has yet to attain the kind of political stardom that others have. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actor-filmmakers in the history of Indian cinema, Kamal Haasan has always been vocal about his political stances, both in public and through his cinematic works. He entered mainstream politics in 2018 by launching the centrist party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM). Although MNM has seldom found electoral success, the party received a Rajya Sabha seat in 2025 and named Kamal as the candidate. Thanks to support from the then-ruling DMK, the actor won. Don’t Miss | When Kamal Haasan cried for an entire day after learning the ‘truth’ about his mother Kamal Haasan net …